Modelling transition policy to a sustainable regional transport system: A case study of the Baltic States
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the difficulty of implementing the European Union renewable energy policy in the transport sector. The authors describe a case study illustrating the capacity of the three Baltic States to meet the binding target of 10 per cent renewable energy in the transport sector by 2020.
Design/methodology/approach
An excel-based mathematical model is developed and applied to evaluate the effect of a selected set of measures according to the sustainable transportation concept.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that the projected renewable energy targets in the transport sector of the Baltic States cannot be achieved without unwavering political commitment towards the promotion of alternative fuel vehicles. Increasing the share of mandatory biofuel blends has a major effect, however, it is not enough to meet the 10 per cent goal. Other measures such as lower transport demand and mode shift are included but do not offer significant benefits under a realistic scenario.
Practical implications
The findings are expected to serve as a basis to conduct further studies into sustainable transport development in the Baltic region. Moreover, policy makers may find these results useful in formulating a national position.
Originality/value
The methodology and the findings reported in this study could be also used for analysing renewable transport policies in other European countries.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Nordic Energy Research “Technology Opportunities in Nordic Energy System Transitions” (TOP-Nest) project. However, it is only the authors who are responsible for the results and discussions made herein. Authors would also like to thank anonymous reviewers for their valuable inputs.
Citation
Barisa, A. and Roša, M. (2015), "Modelling transition policy to a sustainable regional transport system: A case study of the Baltic States", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 357-372. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-08-2014-0122
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited