Transport needs in a climate-constrained world. A novel framework to reconcile social and environmental sustainability in transport

Giulio Mattioli

doi:10.1016/j.erss.2016.03.025

Abstract

The amount of energy and carbon emissions that is required to satisfy transport needs in developed countries is high, has increased rapidly in the past few decades, and is likely to continue to do so in the future. In some contexts, such as car-dependent peri-urban and rural areas, the satisfaction of basic needs has come to depend on extensive use of carbon-intensive transport modes. This creates a tension between social and environmental sustainability, and gives rise to justice dilemmas. In this article, a novel framework is proposed to conceptualise the connections and tensions between justice in transport and accessibility, on one hand, and the consequences of transport emissions on global and intergenerational justice, on the other hand. The framework is based on the integration of philosophical (human needs theory) and sociological (structuration theory) perspectives. While human needs are anthropological invariants, need satisfiers are relative, contextual and historical. Over time, satisfiers can become more travel- and carbon-intensive through unintentional structuration processes. This encourages a critical look towards how the role of transport in need satisfaction has changed over time, how it might change in the future, and the role of ‘excess travel’ practices in pushing the envelope of transport needs.

Highlights

The second half of the twentieth century has seen a phenomenal growth in distance travelled worldwide [84]
What is proposed is a number of conceptual tools that, in combination, make it possible to frame the issue in a novel way, moving beyond the mere recognition that a tension exists between the two transport policy goals
This article has introduced a number of concepts, drawn from human needs and structuration theory, which are helpful for thinking the tension and the possible reconciliation of social and climate justice in transport

Summary

Introduction

The second half of the twentieth century has seen a phenomenal growth in distance travelled worldwide [84]. The spectacular growth of travel distances in developed countries has drawn increasing attention to inequalities in transport and in access to services and opportunities, leading to the rise of the transport and social exclusion research agenda [13,57,58,88]. The conceptual approach proposed in this paper highlights such challenges, and the fundamental reasons behind them It does so by focusing on the need for carbon-intensive travel, how it arises and its consequences for intra- and intergenerational justice. The argument is put forward that there is a tension between ensuring fair levels of access and achieving a rapid reduction in transport emissions and energy consumption in developed countries This is demonstrated based mostly on the data for the UK. (Section 4), key lessons are drawn, and an agenda for future research and policy-making is sketched

The tension between environmental and social goals in transport

Theoretical framework

What are transport needs?

Structuration processes in transport

Findings

Discussion and conclusions