Panel 6. Energy-efficient and low-carbon mobility and transport

The panel welcomes submissions on the topics of transport, energy, and emissions, especially those aligned with the core themes of:

The role of place in transport energy demand and supply. Different places, be that countries, regions, cities, towns, or villages, have widely varying transport and energy systems. Some are more sustainable than others, but all need to improve. As there is no one-size-fits-all solution to transport, to what extent does a place’s history define its future trajectory? Can we learn from similar but better-performing places, and what are the barriers places encounter to adopting best practices? For example, can a lack of skills or public acceptance impede the uptake of common technologies and behaviours elsewhere? We also welcome papers that explore the relationships between networks (physical or social) and transport outcomes.

How a changing world will affect transport and energy. We live in interesting times: a global pandemic, climate change, war in Ukraine, high inflation, and ageing populations. All of these are changing how and why we travel, but what are the long and short-term implications for the transport system? Will new technologies such as streaming and working from home reduce energy demand or merely push it to other sectors? Evidence from psychology suggests that major shocks can be habit-forming, so are these events an opportunity to think and act differently or challenges to be overcome? How can technological transitions, such as the uptake of electric vehicles, be managed to reduce overall energy demand? And how can new business models, such as shared vehicles or on-demand services, be regulated and integrated in order to reap their benefits while mitigating negative socio-economic and environmental impacts?

The role of funding, financing and incentives. While public budgets are limited, investment in infrastructure and transport services competes with other spending priorities, and private investors are often reluctant to invest in sustainable transport projects. Even today, public transport is generally not cost-covering and relies heavily on public subsidies. On the other hand, the benefits and cost savings of sustainable transport tend to be diffuse and not directly reflected in public budgets. What additional funding and financing options can public authorities use to support the transformation of transport systems? How can benefits and reduced costs to society be taken into account in cost-benefit assessments? What role can privately operated mobility services play, what non-financial incentives can public authorities provide to attract private sector services and investment, and how can these private mobility services be integrated with collective transport systems? Finally, many national governments are encouraging the uptake of e-mobility by providing grants and subsidies for the purchase of vehicles and charging infrastructure. These subsidies are often seen as socially unfair, as taxpayers' money benefits private companies and individuals who can afford to buy new cars. When is the best time to end subsidy schemes and what exit strategies should governments follow?

Panel leaders

Stefan Werland, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Germany

Stefan Werland is a Senior Researcher at the Wuppertal Institute, where he works on European and international research projects on sustainable urban mobility, urban development, resource efficiency and climate protection. Stefan has a long experience in research projects for the European Commission, the German government, city administrations, foundations and NGOs. His focus is on policy strategy development, policy instrument design and impact assessment. 
 
Stefan has a strong background in knowledge transfer through e-learning, webinars and capacity building workshops for European cities.  He has coordinated work packages in European projects and co-led the Green Recovery Tracker project, which assessed the contribution of EU Member States' national recovery plans to the green transition. He also coordinated the review of the mobility section of the Berlin Energy and Climate Programme for the Berlin Senate Administration.   
 
From 2009 to 2016, Stefan was a researcher at the Environmental Policy Research Centre at the Freie Universität Berlin, where he supported the development of the German Resource Efficiency Strategy for the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. During his time at the Technical University of Dresden (2006–2009), he worked on a research project on multi-level governance of forests. Stefan holds a Magister Artium (M.A.) in political science, geography and sociology. He studied at the University of Trier and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Bordeaux.

Malcolm Morgan

Malcolm Morgan, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, United Kingdom

Dr Malcolm Morgan is a Senior Research Fellow in Transport and Spatial Analysis at the University of Leeds, Institute for Transport Studies.

Dr Morgan’s research focuses on the spatial distribution of energy use and carbon emissions, with a particular focus on transport and housing. He works on understanding both why energy use changes between neighbourhoods and whether this is due to choice or circumstances. His research often emphasizes producing practical tools to aid in policy-making such as:

  • Propensity to Cycle Tool (www.pct.bike)
  • Place-Based Carbon Calculator (www.carbon.place)
  • Cycling Infrastructure Prioritisation Toolkit (www.cyipt.bike)

He mostly uses quantitative approaches focusing on GIS and big data analysis and visualization and has published several R packages including OpenTripPlanner for R and UK2GTFS.

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