Environment

The environment

Sustainability means “satisfying the needs of the current generation without compromising the capacity to satisfy the needs of future generations”. Brundtland report (1987).

Sustainable mobility is therefore the mobility models that allows people to move around with the lease environmental and territorial impact.

Transport is the activity which consumes most energy in Catalonia (40% of the total) and one of the main sources of emissions of greenhouse gases, occupation of space and noise generation.

The current mobility model is unsustainable since it is based, fundamentally, on motor transport and specifically private vehicles.

According to a study carried out in 2004 on 17 countries of the European Union, it is estimated that most of the external costs of transport (the social and environmental impacts it generates) come to over €650,000m a year. That is 7% of the European GDP.

The external costs of road transport account for three quarters of the total. Climate change is the biggest factor at 30% while air pollution and the cost of accidents represent 27% and 24% respectively.

In Spain these costs are higher than the European average, representing 9% of GDP and the road traffic represents almost 80%.

In Catalonia, according to studies by the Department of Regional Policy and Public Works (currently Territory and Sustainability) of the Catalan government, in 2001 the regional transport system generated total costs of over €48,000m, of which 88% were internal costs of the system and 9%  were external. The rest was split between public spending on infrastructures and costs deriving from traffic jam.

For the same year, external costs and traffic jam costs in Catalonia amounted to €4,744m of which 33% corresponded to accidents and around 24% to the impact of climate change.

A sustainable mobility model would be one where the means of transport consuming less energy and producing fewer emissions per kilometre and passenger took priority (on foot, by bicycle, on public transport and shared cars).

To minimise the negative effects of the mobility model at the UAB we need to ensure that these are the most used means of transport.

The UAB has drawn up a Mobility Plan 2018-24 which aims to increase accessibility to the campus with criteria of sustainability, efficiency and safety, promoting active journeys (walking and cycling), public transport and rationalising the use of private vehicles. See more here.