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Detailed urban analysis of commute-related GHG emissions to guide urban mitigation measures

Modeling and measuring both potential and actual urban greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigations can serve as a foundation for urban sustainability management. A growing number of studies have analyzed various aspects of GHG emissions from the use of private vehicles, emphasizing the significant share they represent of overall emissions, and also exploring measures to reduce these emissions. Commuting to and from work is a significant form of urban travel. Most existing analyses have focused on urban transportation-related emissions at the overall urban scale. Much less research has been published concerning fine-scale emissions analysis of urban commute patterns and specific commuting routes. This manuscript presents a detailed analysis of commute related GHG emissions from private vehicles used by the city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa (Israel) residents. The analysis found that 60% of the overall urban private vehicles related emissions can be attributed to commuting, emitting ~215,000 t CO2e annually. We analyzed GHG emissions related to 257 inter-city and 64 commute routes within the city, ranging between 100 and 5600 t CO2e annually. Potential scenarios for GHG mitigation are also presented showing that relatively mild technological, behavioral and policy changes can potentially save 10–51% of emissions related to commute within the city, amounting to 3000–17,000 t CO2e annually. Findings show that commute-route-specific carbon quantification can be used as a tool for socio-spatial tailored policies, advancing urban GHG mitigation.

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Tel Aviv

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