Carbon footprints, transportation

The carbon footprint of transport fuels has been analyzed in several studies starting from 1990. One of the most important is the study realized by Sheehan et al. [13] at National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the United States.This is an LCA study that includes the impact of C02 emissions. Most important operations belonging to the petroleum diesel product system include crude oil extraction, its transport to an oil refinery, crude oil refining to diesel fuel, its transportation to the user, and its use in a bus engine. 

Carbon footprint of transport biofuels (biodiesel, bioethanol, biomethane)... 

Fantozzi et al. [73] presents the study of the carbon footprint of a typical food product in Central Italy truffle sauce. This is a mixture of vegetable oil and truffle in proportions of 33% and 67% respectively and minor components and spices (garlic, salt, pepper, etc.). Both truffles and olives are cultivated and harvested in a farm in Umbria (Italy). Olives are crushed in a mill that is situated few kilometers from the farm. Once it has been produced, the extra virgin oil, together with the truffle, is transported to another facility to produce bottled truffle sauce. The carbon footprint calculation is based on ISO 14076 technical standard. Product Category Rules (PCR) have been developed (see Table 7). 

In this Finnish study (MatiUa et al., 2011), the carbon footprint of several shopping bag alternatives (five types) was studied using LCA method. The functional unit assumed was carrying devices for the transportation of goods from grocery stores... 

As transportation has become more constrained, fuel costs have escalated and corporate social responsibility initiatives have increased in importance. Customer service expectations have also increased. For example, retailers want consumer product manufacturers to ship smaller quantities more frequently at a lower cost and with a lower carbon footprint. This is just not possible. As a result, there is increased tension among trading partners. To make this happen, companies have to work together to combine, or pool, shipments to a retailer. 

Transportation value chains will be transformed by smarter city initiatives. Green legislation will become a reality and monitoring the true carbon footprint will become a new modeling constraint in network design activities. 

For example, LCA studies on identical poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) soda bottles produced at two plants can have very different embodied energies because their process electricity is derived from different sources (coal vs. hydropower) or because modes of transportation or the distances in the distribution networks are different or even because they use different disposal methods. Mechanical recycling, where available, can make a very significant differences to both the energy and carbon footprint of the product. A technically recyclable product should not be credited with saved energy in the LCA unless the infrastructure is actually present to recycle it. 

Keywords Low carbon island Green transportation Economic input-output life cycle assessment Carbon footprint System dynamics... 

F. 26.2 The carbon footprint assessment of industrial sectors by EIO-LCA. A agricultural, forestry, fishery and animal husbandry, B manufacturing, C electricity, gas and water, D construction, E trade, accommodation and food and beverage, F transportation and communication, G banking, insurance entities and real estate, industry, commerce and services, I social and personal services... 

One proposal focuses on a system known as Applications for the Environment Real-Time Information Synthesis (AERIS) that would help people make decisions about the best and most efficient mode of transportation to use for a particular trip. Under the proposal, AERIS would provide information comparing current travel times from one point to another depending on the mode of transportation. The information would be drawn from traffic data on highways and roads, public transit schedules, up-to-the-minute information on delays, and weather data. The system s interface might list a traveler s options by transportation mode, ranking the options by travel time, cost, or carbon footprint. These options could be viewed on a mobile device such as a cell phone. 

Although most of the current focus on lightening om carbon footprint revolves aroimd transportation and heating issues, the modest little fabric all around you turns out to be from an industry with a gigantic carbon footprint. 

Transportation - This area accounts for only 8 percent of the operational carbon footprint. Again, the company is looking to make a 35 percent reduction by 2015. To do this M S has introduced hybrid and electric vehicles and will be looking to bio-fuels as the technology improves. 

The LCA tool enables users to input energy consumption, transportation mileage, and recycling quantities for a company diuing the production of a manufacmred product. The LCA tool calculates the carbon footprint and diversion rate of a company. The input sheet for the LCA tool is listed in Figure 9.1. 

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