Towards an effective, efficient, and just energy transition / Verso una transizione energetica efficace, efficiente e giusta

Urban buses provide an important contribution to decreasing the number of pri¬vate cars on the roads, reducing congestions and lowering air emissions. However, most of the circulating buses are still powered by internal combustion diesel en¬gines, whose environmental performance is much worse than that of alternative powertrains such as electric or hydrogen fuel cell buses. The chapter reviews the most recent studies aiming to provide answers to questions such as what is the eco¬nomic and environmental performance of different bus powertrains; what lesson can we learn from jointly considering the economic and environmental aspects; and what are the chances that the more environmentally friendly bus powertrains will prevail in the short and medium term. The main findings are that main advantage of fossil-fuel based buses are their much lower acquisition bus costs. Electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses require much higher initial costs not only for the bus acquisition but also for the charging\refuelling infrastructure. However, the initial capital disadvantage could be, under certain conditions, compensated by the lower annual operating cost, thus making them competitive in terms of to¬tal cost of ownership. There is a sufficiently large consensus that electric, hydrogen fuel cell buses and the biomethane-fuelled buses could reduce the environmental impact of bus operation relative to diesel counterpart along all environmental impact dimensions. According to some others authors, the monetarized environ mental benefits from alternative powertrains are sufficiently high to compensate for their higher monetary costs.

As the world becomes more urbanized, the challenges facing cities increase, making them more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, to which the transport sector is a major contributor. Despite progress in making private vehicles more sustainable and efficient, a radical change in travel behavior remains essential. One of the most promising solutions is carpooling. The aim of this paper is to highlight the factors that favor the uptake of this form of mobility, including socio-economic characteristics and individual attitudes, and to describe the economic, social and environmental impacts of carpooling. It also analyses the barriers to its diffusion and the policies that support its uptake. Shared mobility, such as carpooling, has the potential to play a critical role in promoting social inclusion by offering affordable transportation options to under¬served communities and contributing to a just transition toward a more sustainable and equitable urban transport system.

This chapter presents the concept of Just Transition in the context of urban freight electrification. The study aims to assess the equality and fairness of access to electrifi¬cation technologies for urban freight transport across different countries and regions. To achieve this, a literature review was conducted. The results reveal significant geo¬graphical disparities in access to urban freight electrification technologies, with a no¬table concentration of research and implementation in developed Western countries. Furthermore, the study identifies barriers that may limit vulnerable groups from accessing these technologies. The chapter concludes by proposing necessary policy mea¬sures to ensure a fair and equitable transition for all stakeholders involved

Cycling offers numerous benefits, positively impacting cyclists’ health and having fewer harmful effects on the environment compared to most other forms of transport. However, adverse weather conditions can deter regular cycling. To mitigate these disadvantages, constructing a bicycle tube is a potential solution. We exemplify this with a planned bicycle tube in a Norwegian city known for harsh weather, discussing how it could promote cycling by reducing the negative impact of weather conditions. The number of cyclists is influenced by weather indicators such as temperature, wind, and precipitation, as well as variations between workdays and seasons. It is estimated that the construction of the bicycle tube would double the number of cyclists in the studied transport corridor due to improved weather protection. This increase would generate benefits related to travel time, health, and the environment. Additionally, the free-to-use bicycle tube could improve accessibility for people without access to a car, contributing to a just transition to sustainable transport. However, for the case studied, the benefits are not sufficient to cover the construction costs of the bicycle tube. Therefore, the project is not strictly profitable from a welfare perspective. Nonetheless, other non-monetary effects could be substantial for such a project.

This paper aims to explore, through the analysis of 153 scientific articles (1998-2023), how reverse logistics contributes to reducing food and packaging waste, decreasing green¬house gas emissions and improving agri-food supply chain efficiency. The research pays particular attention to reverse logistics’ role within a circular business model in a) re¬ducing food waste, and b) mitigating the system’s contribution to climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The main subject areas related to reverse logistics, analyzed in the literature, include waste management, inventory optimization, pack¬aging management and the perishable nature of food products. The review highlights the growing importance of reverse logistics in reducing food waste, managing packag¬ing, and addressing the challenges related to the perishable nature of food products. The findings also highlight reverse logistics as a key tool for applying circular economy strat¬egies, pointing to challenges that require greater integration across the different food supply chains, collaboration between different economic agents of the agri-food system and stakeholders, and policy support. The study identifies key barriers such as inade¬quate infrastructure, high costs, and a lack of coordination among supply chain actors. In response, the literature suggests solutions including investments in cold chain systems, improved traceability, and supportive public policies.