The Dynamic Relation of Climate Change and Energy Transition with Transport and Mobility Policies in the EU Through Social Media Data Mining

Abstract

The 2019 Green Deal Communication aims to renew the growth strategy of the European Union (EU) and its commitment to tackle climate and environmental challenges. In 2020, the EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy Communication was published in response to the Green Deal’s priority for accelerating the shift towards sustainable and smart transport. The Strategy focuses, among others, on innovative mobility solutions, such as Mobility as a Service (MaaS), electromobility and hydrogen fuel cells. However, the promotion of smart mobility solutions has been at the core of EU transport policy for over a decade. The purpose of the current paper is to analyse the evolution of the relation between the climate change and energy transition priorities and the transport and mobility strategies in EU policy. The research is based on data mining from “Twitter”, a platform widely used by EU policy makers for the communication of policy initiatives and priorities. In this context, the research focuses on tracking and analyzing the evolution of user-generated content related to climate change, energy transition and (smart) mobility, published in the period 2011 (publication of the EU 2011 Transport White Paper) until today. The results derive from the application of text-mining techniques, and comprise of a series of metrics, analyses, and conclusions on the dynamics of relevant EU policies and their influence. Research outcomes could assist policy-makers and researchers to better understand the role of social media in the promotion of sustainable transport strategies and assess the acceptance of such policies.