What do we see?
In 2016 the carbon footprint was around 13,350 kt of CO2 equivalents or 2.06 t of CO2 equivalents per Flanders resident. Compared to 2010, the footprint had decreased by 10%. The carbon footprint is mostly determined by the production and use of fossil fuels. In 2016, they together accounted for 75% of the carbon footprint of our mobility system. The impact of other vehicles on the carbon footprint accounts for less than 10%, so passenger cars have a much bigger impact than other forms of transport. The decrease in emissions from mobility could be related to the lower emissions from fuel production.
What’s the aim?
In a circular economy, we aim to keep the carbon footprint of our mobility system as low as possible. Although mobility continues to have a large overall impact, the downward trend is encouraging. The consumption of fuel during the use phase has the biggest impact on the carbon footprint. By using other types of vehicle, like EVs and hybrids, we can lower the amount of fossil fuels required and in doing so reduce the footprint. However, this kind of change depends on infrastructure and the mix of electricity. Furthermore, the impact of electric vehicles is higher during the production phase. In order to lower the carbon footprint of the mobility system, we therefore need to reduce the number of passenger cars and rely more on other modes of transport like public transport and active ways of getting around.
What does this indicator measure?
This system indicator measures the carbon footprint of passenger transport in Flanders. The data for the indicator was provided by OVAM.
