Mobility

Living far away from work, university, schools or essential services forces us to make long commutes that impact both our quality of life and the environment. When deciding where to live, try to find a place that is as close as possible to your main daily destination.

If that’s not possible, try looking for a place where you can easily access public transport services to get to your final destination.

As a plus, look for housing options where you can find amenities and services at a walking distance so you won’t need to travel or use a motorised vehicle to do shopping, go to a park, go out at night, etc. When everything you need is close by, the need to travel will be much less, saving you time, money and emissions!

Burning petrol and diesel fuels emit various air pollutants and greenhouse gasses, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and sulphur oxides (SOx). These pollutants are harmful to our health, pollute the air we breathe, and contain greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

A typical personal vehicle emits about 4.6 tons of carbon dioxide per year. It is the most common greenhouse gas generated from human activities. Shifting from cars to public transportation can reduce up to 2.2 tons of carbon emissions annually per individual.

The greatest and most sustainable positive effect can be achieved by giving up your own car and switching to public transport, “body energy” (bicycle & co, see above) and sharing services – such as car sharing and carpooling, bike sharing, e-scooters etc. In cities, living without a car is usually also much cheaper. Switching from car to train or bus also allows you to use the time for reading and working instead of driving, especially on longer journeys.

Some additional tips to use public transportation more often are:

• Check regularly for regional offers on public transport, e.g., monthly or yearly tickets that cost less. Also buying several tickets at once is usually cheaper.
• Ask your boss or company for a jobticket.
• Enjoy the ride! – A good time to read a book, think and reflect, or just look out of the window.

Thinking of buying or owning a vehicle?

First ask yourself if it is absolutely necessary or if you could make other changes to your mobility patterns (live closer to your destinations, commuting via public transportation, buying a cargo bike instead of a car, or signing up for a car sharing program where you can use a car only when you need it), you may find that your mobility needs can be solved in many other new and innovative ways that are cheaper and more sustainable. 

If buying a new car is unavoidable, make sure its drive is as economical and clean as possible: Electric cars are clearly more sustainable, over their full life cycle, than cars with engines running on diesel; this is especially true when used a lot in city traffic. – Modest equipment also often helps to reduce energy consumption (e.g. do without heated exterior mirrors and similar power guzzlers). 

If you go for an electric car: Make sure that the electricity you use to charge your car is ‘green’ (see also the Energy module). – If charging is a problem, talk to your landlord, employer and advocate in your municipality for creating electric charging facilities. 

There is a lot happening in this area at the moment: keep an eye on developments in the search for the most sustainable solution

Some other alternatives to drive:

• Take the initiative: Carpool with your friends, colleagues or neighbours to get to the next event, to work and elsewhere, or use a Car-sharing app.
• Go for your errands in one single trip.
• Work from home if you can.
• Plan trips nearby.

External Articles & NEWS

Your guide to climate action: Transport Car Pollution is Bad for Environment

Aeroplanes emit around 100 times more CO2 per hour than a shared bus or train ride. The emissions from global aviation are around 1 billion tons of CO2 per year, and aviation is responsible for an estimated 2.4% of global annual CO2 emissions. Most of it comes from commercial travel and contributes around 4% to human-induced global warming, more than most countries do. Globally, these emissions are caused by a small minority: Nearly 90 per cent of the world’s population hardly ever board an aeroplane. Only about 2% travelled internationally in 2018 and the top 1 % are ‘super-emitters’, generating half of the global emissions from aviation. 

Learn more about how air travel warms the planet

In addition, air traffic often has a negative impact locally: aircraft cause noise – which in turn increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases – and contribute to poorer air quality due to the emissions of nitrogen oxides.

Curtailing emissions requires many solutions, but the most effective one to reduce both the climate and health impacts of aviation is to fly less.

These are some sustainable responses to flying:

• Go all the way and commit to stop flying altogether.
• Take some steps. Fly only when necessary and stay longer. When flying for work, group meetings together or, skip the flight and use video calls.
• Choose holiday destinations that you can reach without flying. If you choose the train, book early – it often pays off!

If you need to fly, strive to limit the negative effects as much as possible, including through the following:

• Fly economy instead of business class to improve efficiency.
• Take direct, non-stop flights to avoid high emissions during takeoff and landing and increased fuel consumption due to longer distances.
• Take daytime flights (due to heat-trapping effect of contrails and cirrus clouds at night, sunlight reflecting during day).
• Choose airlines carefully. Some airlines do a better job of ensuring they have a full passenger load and fly more efficient planes.
• Offset your flights. Buy carbon offsets or plant trees. There are many certified projects and programmes that foster sustainable development and at the same time contribute to compensating for the emissions caused by your flight, such as the United Nations’ Carbon Neutral Now programme with its projects platform. – Support them!

External Articles & NEWS

How much does air travel warm the planet Air travel and climate change Climate Neutral Now Carbon Offset Platform