Session
TU.2.B || Future Sustainable Lifestyles – Urban Structure
Authors
Avilan, Felipe; Iwasaka, Fernanda; Souza, Amanda
Abstract
The Espaço ECO Foundation, created and maintained by BASF, together with the Akatu Institute, an NGO that works to raise awareness and mobilize conscious consumption, developed a study to understand and measure the environmental impacts of urban transportation alternatives in Brazil to indicate ways for the consumers to reduce the environmental impacts of urban mobility. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used to analyze the environmental impacts. The main means of transportation studied were the bicycle, the electric scooter, motorcycle, car, bus, and subway. Each has a different environmental impact along with the life cycle phases, either in the production stage, due to the materials used in the base, or the use stage due to the burning of fossil fuels, or the maintenance and disposal of the vehicles. The study focused on the city of São Paulo due to the diversity of alternative modes and consumption habits of the population, in addition to access to existing databases to gather the information that allowed the analyses. The most relevant recommendations for consumers looking for more sustainable options were: sharing the modes, using renewable fuels, taking care of the equipment during use, carrying out periodic maintenance, correctly disposing of equipment and parts at the end of life, and prioritizing the use of public transport. The study aimed to help the population to make conscious choices and to better understand the environmental impacts of the main means of transport used. It is important to point out that the study did not consider the variables which may have been brought about by the pandemic and considered the information bases for the year 2019.