Opportunities for Synergies and Cobenefits

Abstract It is often claimed that transport is one of the hardest sector to decarbonize. This view is challenged by a number of more recent papers, which show that an integrated policy approach can address cobenefits with other key policy objectives, such as health, productivity, energy security, and safety, which can lead to a maximum of socioeconomic benefits. These synergies between policy objectives have the potential to incorporate the positions of relevant veto players, which can help in forming coalitions to support policy implementation, which is often neglected in studies on the decarbonization potential of the sector and it is the main focus for this part of the chapter to answer that question. If applied in isolation, policy measures are unlikely to achieve goals without generating trade-offs that create a risk of a veto player blocking the implementation process. This chapter identifies the opportunities of an integrated policy approach to sustainable transport and identifies potential contributions to coalition building. This is a vital element in the conceptual framework of this thesis as it creates the link between policy ambition, integration, and the potential for coalition building. Practical examples of low-carbon transport policy measures are provided, along with quantified cobenefits for key policy objectives and a mapping of institutional actors and potential veto players is proposed. The chapter provides a concise overview on potential cobenefits of a selection of specific measures to highlight the contribution of sustainable transport measures to economic, social, and environmental policy objectives, which provides the basis for the identification of key policy actors and veto-players.