Active Commuting: An Opportunity to Fight Both Climate Change and Physical Inactivity

Nuno Figueiredo, Filipe Rodrigues, Pedro Morouço and Diogo Monteiro
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Nuno Figueiredo: ESECS, Polytechnique of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
Filipe Rodrigues: Sport Science School of Rio Maior (ESDRM-IPSantarém), 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal
Pedro Morouço: ESECS, Polytechnique of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
Diogo Monteiro: ESECS, Polytechnique of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-5

Abstract: Global health, climate, and ecological conditions cannot be dissociated, and over the last decade, the impacts of climate change on health have been profoundly felt. In 2010, the transport sector has been responsible for the direct emission of 6.7 Gt of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and these numbers are expected to double by 2050. Additionally, physical inactivity rates have been growing over the last years, with most individuals in developed countries still relying on their cars for daily transportation, despite the unexplored potential of daily commuting in the promotion of physical activity. Given the well-known link between chronic diseases and sedentary lifestyles, addressing both the upward tendency of public health costs and energy consumption obtained from fossil fuels can be, possibly, one of the greatest public health opportunities over the last century. In this paper, we explore the potential of active commuting as a contemporary approach to address both global issues, considering its benefits on several indicators of health, quality of life, and well-being, as well as environmental-friendly behaviors.

Keywords: public health; quality of life; sustainability; environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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