Share of road transport in greenhouse gas emissions in Poland in 1988–2015

Abstract

Abstract The results of an analysis of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventory in Poland in the years 1988–2015 are presented, paying special attention to the impact of road transport on the intensification of greenhouse effect. The analysis was made based on the official results compiled by the National Centre for Emissions Management and Balancing (KOBiZE) at the Institute of Environmental Protection – National Research Institute. It was found that carbon dioxide emission represented the dominant part of the total GHG emissions, despite that there were other gases having far greater greenhouse effect potential. There was a general downward trend for the national annual emission of basic GHGs. The estimated share of road transport in the GHGs emission was not high: from 4% in 1988 to around 12% in 2015. For motor vehicles, there is a dominant share in the GHGs emissions of passenger cars: (50 ÷ 60)%. In the years 1988–2015, there was a relative decrease by about 32% in the national annual emission of carbon dioxide equivalent from all sources covered by the inventory. That notwithstanding, the national annual emission of carbon dioxide equivalent arising from transportation increased generally by about 93% and that from the road transport increased by as much as 117%. The increase in GHGs emissions from motor vehicles resulted mainly from a significant growth in car numbers. Technical progress in the construction of motor vehicles can be evaluated by considering the average annual emission of carbon dioxide equivalent from a conventional car, which has been decreasing since 1998.