IPCC (2022) estimates that the transport sector accounted for 15% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) direct emissions in 2019. The contribution of this sector to climate is progressively increasing in absolute terms due to growing traffic (more and longer trips), the predominance of the least-efficient transport modes (cars, vans, trucks and planes), as well as the slow pace of innovation.
Whilst the spotlight is generally on efficiency (e.g., emissions per passenger/kilometre), distance is a crucial geographical concept at the core of transport geography and by extension, it is a major factor influencing GHG emissions and climate footprint. All other things being equal, distance travelled directly affects energy consumption. However, during the last few years, transport environmental policy has been primarily centred on short-distance travel and urban/regional mobilities. This has significantly improved people’s lives and local air quality, but has not been enough to curb the growing GHG emissions.
Considering the context above, this special session explores the relationships among three aspects: transport, distance and climate change. All scales (from urban areas to the global), transport modes, passenger motivations (including tourism mobilities and goods may be considered for the session.
Potential topics include:

Is there a linear relationship between distance travelled and climate footprint?
Cycling and flying – personal responsibilities and contradictions inherent in balancing the climate consequences of transport mode choice for daily mobilities and leisure/tourism-based travel.
Tourism as a driver of long-haul flight emissions.
Replacement of short-haul flights with rail services as a possible means to reduce aviation’s contribution to climate change – can high-speed rail contribute to making aviation ‘greener’?
Current and future feasible alternatives to long-haul travel.
Likelihood of behavioural change in relation to long-haul travel – is price the only filter?
The environmental (in)efficiency of airport charges and specific aviation taxes against distance flown.
The relationship between social class, distance travelled and GHG emissions.
Buying local or buying global? The climate impact of global e-commerce platforms. Under the auspices of the IGU Commission on Geography of Tourism, Leisure, and Global Change and the IGU Commission on Transport & Geography.

Dobruszkes Frédéric (1); Suau-Sanchez Pere (2,3); Wilson Julie (3)
(1) Brussels Free University (ULB), (2) Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, (3) Cranfield University

 
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