Climate change and energy security in transportation fuel, infrastructure and policy: An AHP approach

Abstract

Transportation is fundamental to all societies. It affords access to a broad range of goods and services that has brought civilization to where it is today. Be it a trans-national flight, the delivery of a package, or a walk to the grocery store, resources—in the form of energy, infrastructure, and time—go into the provision of these activities and services which are fundamental to our high standard of living. However, these benefits are not without cost. The transportation sector is heavily dependent on fossil fuels, particularly oil; for example, in OECD countries, 96 percent of the energy for transportation is derived from petroleum (IEA, 2008a). In 2006, the combustion of petroleum products accounted for 51.8 percent of final energy consumption in the OECD nations, with transportation taking 60.5 percent share of this in 2006 (IEA, 2008a; Figure 1). Thus, the transportation sector accounts for 31.3 percent of all energy used in OECD countries—derived almost entirely from petroleum. The repercussions of this dependence are numerous, but most significantly in the areas of climate change and energy security.