Environmental life cycle impact assessment of transportation infrastructure: A multi-case study in international perspective

Abstract

Although transportation infrastructure promotes the continuous development of the world economy, it is also responsible for serious pollution problems. These are studied in the analysis of five transportation infrastructure projects from Bosnia, Pakistan, and China, and their environmental emissions and impacts using an environmental impact assessment model of transportation infrastructure based on life cycle analysis. This shows that: (a) the main reason for the negative environmental impact of transportation infrastructure is the use of energy and complex materials, of which the use of lime soils has the biggest influence on global warming; and (b) frequent overhaul maintenance has a greater impact on the environment compared to daily maintenance. Our findings provide governments from all countries with a scientific basis for formulating policies for energy conservation and reduction in transportation infrastructure emissions.

Keywords:

• Energy saving
• environmental impact assessment
• emissions reduction
• life cycle impact assessment
• transportation infrastructure

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest or author order.

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by the National Social Science Fund projects(No.20BJY010); National Social Science Fund Post-financing projects(No.19FJYB017); Sichuan-tibet Railway Major Fundamental Science Problems Special Fund (No.71942006); Qinghai Natural Science Foundation(No.2020-JY-736); List of Key Science and Technology Projects in China’s Transportation Industry in 2018-International Science and Technology Cooperation Project (No.2018-GH-006 and No.2019-MS5-100); Emerging Engineering Education Research and Practice Project of Ministry of Education of China (No.E-GKRWJC20202914); Shaanxi Social Science Fund (No.2017S004); Xi’an Construction Science and Technology Planning Project (No.SZJJ201915 and No.SZJJ201916); Shaanxi Province Higher Education Teaching Reform Project (No.19BZ016); Fundamental Research for Funds for the Central Universities (Humanities and Social Sciences), Chang’an University (No.300102239616, No.300102281669 and No.300102231641). The fourth author also acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for his Ramon y Cajal contract (RYC-2017-22222) co-funded by the European Social Fund.