Estimation and Environmental Assessment of Life Cycle Freight and Passenger Transportation of US Goods and Services for Sustainability

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

0755672 Matthews This research will develop systematic models of life cycle freight and passenger transportation for economic sectors and individual products and services, including commuting, delivery, and supply chain effects. The models will be based on the latest economic input-output model of transactions within the entire U.S. economy, augmented with data about transportation use and environmental impacts. The models will estimate data for multiple transportation modes including air, light vehicles, rail, transit, truck, and waterway. These models will be applied to estimate delivery and manufacturing impacts, reverse logistics impacts for extended producer responsibility of products, and videoconferencing or telework strategies to reduce lifecycle transportation emissions. The models will be available on the Internet so that other transportation and sustainability researchers can pursue their own inquiries. Particular intellectual challenges in the research include linking multiple data sources, model validation, interface design, and synthesizing analysis results for environmental sustainability and transportation professionals.