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The configuration of the current civilization would not be conceivable without abundant and cheap transport: the dominant trends of the last decades such as the globalization of the economy, the segmentation of productive processes in distant places, the metabolism of large cities with distant resources or mass tourism, would not be possible. | The configuration of the current civilization would not be conceivable without abundant and cheap transport: the dominant trends of the last decades such as the globalization of the economy, the segmentation of productive processes in distant places, the metabolism of large cities with distant resources or mass tourism, would not be possible. | ||
Latest revision as of 12:56, 31 July 2025
Abstract
The configuration of the current civilization would not be conceivable without abundant and cheap transport: the dominant trends of the last decades such as the globalization of the economy, the segmentation of productive processes in distant places, the metabolism of large cities with distant resources or mass tourism, would not be possible.
The transport of passengers and goods is ubiquitous and, during the first two decades of the 21st century, it has more than doubled far beyond population growth. The characteristics of petroleum and its derivatives (gasoline, diesel, kerosene and fuel oil), with high energy densities (around 10 kWh/kg and 8 kWh/litre), rapid recharging and artificially low costs by not including outsourcing, have led to a close correlation with transport: today 95% of transport (land, sea, air) is powered by petroleum products and 75% of oil is used for transport.
Electricity, the main renewable energy vector in the transport of the future, represents a substantial improvement in the performance of the motor elements but requires important systems for feeding and loading the energy in the vehicle (storage in batteries, hydrogen and fuel cell, electrified catenary) that will need to be implemented in a decentralized manner. It is necessary to completely discard the production of biofuels from crops, in collision with food and with very low yields, and limit them only to small amounts obtained from waste.
The transition from oil to renewable energy vectors in the framework of sustainable development will bring important changes and limitations with respect to some of the characteristics and uses we are used to today, but also advantages and new possibilities.
This communication also analyses the relationship between transport and information and communication technologies (ICT) and digitalisation. Beyond the improvement and optimization of the transport activity itself, a new field of reflection and improvement opens up based on the concept of accessibility that encompasses the two fields: transport ensures physical accessibility and technologies ICT and digitization open up the field of virtual accessibility.
The purpose of this communication is to analyse these issues and explore their impact on the current dominant trends and on the sustainable development of the future.
Keywords: transport, sustainable development, energy transition, oil, electric energy, biofuels, accessibility
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Published on 02/03/25
Submitted on 22/10/24
Volume Sostenibilitat mediambiental, 2025
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA license
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