Reduced travel emissions through a carbon calculator with accessible environmental data: a case study in Madison, Wisconsin

Abstract

The echoing environmental toll of the transportation system calls for a drastic need to move beyond carbon-intensive modes of transportation into more sustainable ones. With the rise of emerging modes of transportation, this transition is more promising than ever. In this work, we take a travel-centric approach to promoting and accelerating the transition away from carbon-intensive modes of transportation by informing travelers about their emissions. A carbon calculator—as a function of trip distance and Well-to-Wheel (WTW) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)—was developed and embedded on a website platform. Users would input their trip distance, and the calculator outputs the carbon footprint (CO2e) of the trip if it was to be done through seven different modes: car (gasoline), car (hybrid), car (electric), bus, electric bike, bike, and walking. In addition, the calculator outputs the equivalent of CO2e as cheeseburgers for a more intuitive display. The overall goal of this work is to understand how travelers respond to being exposed to carbon footprint information. This serves as a step forward in realizing a sustainable transportation system. We make available the calculator online through this link. Study results indicated that trip distance, environmental awareness, age, income, and mode of transportation used were the most influential features in predicting modal shifts. Importantly, the majority of modal shifts resulted in reduced CO2e emissions.