Uncovering the Carbon Emission Intensity and Reduction Potentials of the Metro Operation Phase: A Case Study in Shenzhen Megacity

Kunyang Chen, Guobin Zhang (), Huanyu Wu, Ruichang Mao and Xiangsheng Chen
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Kunyang Chen: Key Laboratory for Resilient Infrastructures of Coastal Cities, Ministry of Education, Underground Polis Academy, College of Civil & Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518061, China
Guobin Zhang: State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Mineral Metallurgical Resources Utilization and Pollution Control, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, China
Huanyu Wu: Key Laboratory for Resilient Infrastructures of Coastal Cities, Ministry of Education, Underground Polis Academy, College of Civil & Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518061, China
Ruichang Mao: School of Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Xiangsheng Chen: Key Laboratory for Resilient Infrastructures of Coastal Cities, Ministry of Education, Underground Polis Academy, College of Civil & Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518061, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-20

Abstract: The huge energy consumption of metro operations has become a significant challenge faced by the urban public transportation sector to achieve low-carbon development. Using Shenzhen as an example, this study has made efforts to quantify the metro’s energy consumption and carbon emission intensity during the operation phase by using the Life Cycle Assessment approach. Furthermore, this study evaluates the actions that can be taken to reduce energy consumption and emissions. A comparative analysis between metros and other public transportation modes has also been conducted. The results show that the annual carbon emissions from the metro’s operation phase in Shenzhen city increased from 63,000 t CO 2 e in 2005 to 1.3 Mt CO 2 e in 2021, and the historically accumulated carbon emissions are 9.5 Mt CO 2 e. The unit operating mileage, the unit station area, and the per capita carbon emission intensity were 2.1 kg CO 2 e/km, 132.5 kg CO 2 e/m 2 , and 0.6 kg CO 2 e per capita (13th Five-Year Plan Period), respectively. By continually promoting the low-carbon operation of the subway, the cumulative carbon savings could reach 0.1 Mt CO 2 e (2022–2035).

Keywords: metro; operation phase; carbon emission intensity; reduction potential; scenario analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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