Examples of carbon dioxide emissions data in the circular economy: highway transport

Abstract

The UK needs to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of its transport sector to meet its net-zero target. This paper considers the carbon dioxide cycle for two UK motorway bridges built in the 1960s. The emissions estimates are validated using both carbon dioxide emission intensity and by comparison with published data of similar assets, while user emissions are estimated from estimates of the number of vehicles using the assets. Conclusions on past and future carbon dioxide emissions are drawn from these examples. The work confirms that driving down user-generated emissions rather than capital or operational and maintenance emissions is the key to achieving net-zero targets.