Trends in Emissions from Road Traffic in Rapidly Urbanizing Areas

Yinuo Xu, Dawei Weng, Shuo Wang, Qiuyu Ge, Xisheng Hu, Zhanyong Wang and Lanyi Zhang ()
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Yinuo Xu: College of Transportation and Civil Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Dawei Weng: College of Transportation and Civil Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Shuo Wang: College of Transportation and Civil Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Qiuyu Ge: College of Transportation and Civil Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Xisheng Hu: College of Transportation and Civil Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Zhanyong Wang: College of Transportation and Civil Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Lanyi Zhang: College of Transportation and Civil Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-18

Abstract: The process of urbanization has facilitated the exponential growth in demand for road traffic, consequently leading to substantial emissions of CO 2 and pollutants. However, with the development of urbanization and the expansion of the road network, the distribution and emission characteristics of CO 2 and pollutant emissions are still unclear. In this study, a bottom-up approach was initially employed to develop high-resolution emission inventories for CO 2 and pollutant emissions (NO x , CO, and HC) from primary, secondary, trunk, and tertiary roads in rapidly urbanizing regions of China based on localized emission factor data. Subsequently, the standard road length method was utilized to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of CO 2 emissions and pollutant emissions across different road networks while exploring their spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Finally, the influence of elevation and surface vegetation cover on traffic-related CO 2 and pollutant emissions was taken into consideration. The results indicated that CO 2 , CO, HC, and NO x emissions increased significantly in 2020 compared to those in 2017 on trunk roads, and the distribution of CO 2 and pollutant emissions in Fuzhou was uneven; in 2017, areas of high emissions were predominantly concentrated in the central regions with low vegetation coverage levels and low topography but expanded significantly in 2020. This study enhances our comprehension of the spatiotemporal variations in carbon and pollutant emissions resulting from regional road network expansion, offering valuable insights and case studies for regions worldwide undergoing similar infrastructure development.

Keywords: high-resolution emission inventory; road passenger transportation; road types; spatiotemporal characteristics; influencing factors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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