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Transportation and Climate

Tools, Analysis, and Publications

NOTE: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

This page provides information about measuring greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, the contribution of transportation sources to total emissions of greenhouse gases, and solutions for reducing emissions from transportation.

Measuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Transportation

Optimization Model for Reducing Emissions of Greenhouse Gases from Automobiles (OMEGA) which estimates the technology cost for automobile manufacturers to achieve variable fleet-wide levels of vehicle greenhouse gas emissions.

Advanced Light-Duty Powertrain and Hybrid Analysis (ALPHA) Tool is a physics-based full vehicle simulation tool which estimates the greenhouse gas emissions for various vehicle types and powertrain technologies running over user-defined driving cycles.

Fact Sheets

The following fact sheet addresses common questions about greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles and how these emissions are measured and calculated.

Technical Reports

  • Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the U.S. Transportation Sector:1990-2003 Information to help transportation agencies, the transportation industry, researchers, and the public better understand the connection between transportation and greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
  • Update of Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emission Factors for On-Highway Vehicles (PDF) (39 pp, 683K, EPA420-P-04-016, November 2004) Report on Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emission Factors for use in the development of the mobile source emissions factor model MOVES.

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Transportation Solutions

Approaches for reducing greenhouse gases from transportation include using low greenhouse gas fuels, improving vehicle technologies, and reducing the number of vehicle miles traveled.  In combination, these strategies can reduce transportation-related emissions significantly. 

For information on system approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum consumption that combine technology, fuels, and travel demand management, see:

For information on the reductions that the U.S. transportation sector could achieve in greenhouse gas emissions and oil consumption, as requested by Senator Kerry, see:

Fuels

Alternative Fuels and Renewable Fuels pages provide information on the use of environmentally beneficial alternative fuels and vehicles, including information about fuels such as E85 ethanol, biodiesel, and others.  For more information, see:

For information on EPA's analysis of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from increased renewable fuels use, conducted as part of revisions to the National Renewable Fuel Standard program, please see: EPA Lifecycle Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Renewable Fuels (PDF) (4 pp, 133K, EPA-420-F-10-006, February 2010)

Vehicle Technologies

For information on vehicle technologies that can lower greenhouse gas emissions and save on fuel costs, see:

    Programs:
    SmartWay
    EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership is an innovative collaboration between EPA and the freight sector designed to improve transport energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions, and improve energy security. SmartWay Transport promotes a wide array of strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of moving America's goods, including technology solutions and simple behavior and policy changes that make a big difference.
    Fact Sheets:
  • Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PDF) (2 pp, 89K, EPA420-F-07-048, October 2007)
  • Electric Vehicles (PDF) (2 pp, 68K, EPA420-F-00-034, March 2002)
  • Hydrogen and Fuel Cells

Travel Demand

For information on policies and strategies that encourage reductions in vehicle miles traveled, see:

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