How explain CO2 emissions evolution relating to individual mobility? 1994-2008 French National Transport Surveys analysis

Environmental concerns are at the very heart of current political debates. Taking account of people’s mobility behaviour and knowledge of the resulting carbon dioxide emissions are therefore essential in the combat against the greenhouse effect. The primary objective of this article is to propose a method for estimating emissions on the basis of two French national transport surveys; given that this type of survey exists in many countries, the methodology could then be reproduced and the results compared.The second objective is to analyze changes in CO2 emissions between 1994 and 2008 for the French population by broad groups of respondents with similar mobility behaviors. The descriptions of these groups must make it possible to understand who will be concerned by the new greenhouse-gas emissions limits that are to be applied to the transport sector and enable debate on the theoretical effectiveness and fairness of these measures.