Air Quality Impacts of Urban Passenger Transport Reform
About
Transport causes more than one-tenth of worldwide deaths from air pollution—a global tragedy. Fortunately, there is a clear path to dramatic reductions. This new study from ITDP and UC Davis, with support from FIA Foundation, is the first to quantify national primary air pollutant emissions from urban passenger transport for several future scenarios. It finds that current trends will already result in steep declines in tailpipe emissions, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and carbon monoxide (CO).
An aggressive effort to electrify vehicles could nearly eliminate the remaining tailpipe emissions by 2050. At the same time, as tailpipe emissions decline, non-tailpipe emissions from brake dust, tire wear, and road wear emerge as important sources of air pollutants, and they are not affected by stricter emissions standards and electrification. Instead, we find that strong mode shift away from car travel can yield a dramatic reduction in such emissions.
To maximize reductions in all primary air pollutant emissions, the most effective approach is a combination of aggressive Electrification and Mode Shift policies. In addition to maximizing air quality benefits, we find that these combined policies bring many other benefits, including a dramatic reduction in transport costs for both individuals and governments; lower energy consumption; and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Learn More
- Download the “Compact Cities Electrified” report series →
- Download “Protected Bicycle Lanes Protect the Climate” report →
- Download the “Taming Traffic” report →
- Download “The Opportunity of Low Emission Zones” report →
- Watch “The Compact City Scenario Electrified” video →
- Download “The Compact City Scenario Electrified” infographic →
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