An assessment of the underlying relationship between land transportation and climate change: Case study Mauritius

Abstract

Introduction: Land transportation encompasses the movement of people and goods and is therefore a major contributor of global greenhouses gases. The main share of such emissions is mostly from the release of carbon dioxide into the air as a result of burning transportation fuels obtained from petroleum, a major driver of climate change. While today the defining issue is a changing climate, the number of vehicles on roads keep on rising around the world. Materials and methods: This study assessed the relationship between land transportation and climate change using a system dynamics model based on a 3-layered taxonomy using Mauritius Island as case study. Over 100 papers were analyzed and the variables that link land transportation and climate change in the Mauritian context were selected and a taxonomy divided into sub-units was built. Results: This innovative taxonomy was divided into 3 sections related to the land transportation sector including a vehicle layer, transport system layer and society layer. Using these variables, three stock and flow diagrams were constructed on Vensim, namely climate change impacts, transport related carbon dioxide and socio-economic models. Conclusion: While there is a complex relationship between land transportation and climate change globally, Mauritius must find ways to become more climate friendly in the land transportation sector.