Carbon dioxide (CO\u2082) emissions from transportation contribute to anthropogenic climate change and are expected to increase significantly in the future. CO\u2082 emission inventories exist for various transportation modes at the global scale, but are rare at the subnational scale and even rarer for interurban (versus urban) transportation. In this dissertation, I present a detailed analysis of CO\u2082 emissions and emission factors for interurban transportation for the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada, and an analysis of a wide variety of emission scenarios for BC\u2019s interurban transportation system, comparing modelled emissions to the 2020 and 2050 greenhouse gas reduction targets set by the province\u2019s 2007 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act. Nine modes of transportation were included: passenger (private vehicles, ferries, aviation, intercity buses, trains) and freight (trucking, marine, rail, aviation). Annual CO\u2082 emissions from BC interurban transportation were approximately 11.2 Mt CO\u2082 in 2013, of which freight trucking was the greatest contributor with 48.5% of total CO\u2082 emissions. The second largest contributor was private vehicles (17.1% of total CO\u2082 emissions), while the third largest contributor was marine freight (16.8% of total CO\u2082 emissions). Of 106 scenarios modelling future changes to the interurban transportation system, only 15 were able to meet BC\u2019s 2050 emission reduction target, and only two were able to meet both the 2020 and 2050 targets (assuming interurban transportation had to meet the same emission reductions as prescribed for the economy as a whole). Only scenarios with the highest reduction rates were able to meet the reduction targets, and with every passing year, meeting them becomes more challenging.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from civil aviation contribute to anthropogenic climate change and are expected to increase significantly in the future. GHG emission inventories exist for civil aviation at the global scale but not subnational scale. In this thesis, I present what seems to be the first detailed analysis of the carbon footprint (CF) of civil aviation at a subnational level together with an assessment of what key stakeholders are doing to mitigate their CF. I calculated the CF of civil aviation in British Columbia (BC), Canada, determined what efforts airlines and airports in BC are engaging in to mitigate it, and make recommendations on how to further decrease future GHG emissions. The annual CF of civil aviation in BC that is subject to the BC Carbon Tax is approximately 524,000 tonnes of CO2. Passenger flights account for 197,000 tonnes (38%), airport operations for 148,000 tonnes (28%), and passenger travel to and from airports for 179,000 tonnes (34%). Large airlines and airports, as well as small airlines in southern BC, are generally proactive in reducing their CF, while small airlines in northern BC and small airports are generally not. To further reduce the CF of civil aviation in BC, I recommend a major effort to reduce emissions from passenger travel to/from airports, improved stakeholder cooperation including better technology dissemination, enhanced passenger and employee education and awareness programs, high quality and more transparent offset programs, and incentives by the provincial government for airlines and airports to reduce their CF while remaining economically competitive. --P. ii.
