Sustainable Growth the Nordic Way
WEB MAGAZINE - November 2017
Transports win CO2 reduction battle in the sharing economy
The study presents a compilation of existing sharing economy initiatives in the Nordic countries, as well as an analysis of initiatives in four specific sectors and their potential for reducing the burden on the environment.
A life-cycle analysis of a regular car clearly demonstrates that the biggest environmental impact comes from the emissions produced when driving. A car-sharing collective replaces an average of between four and thirteen individually owned cars, and often reduces the number of kilometres driven annually by a household that is a member of the collective.
Cars in a car-sharing collective are often more modern with lower emission levels.
A reduction in the number of cars on the road reduces congestion, noise, and emissions in urban environments, where traffic problems are often greatest.
“Research on the sharing economy and the experiences of the Nordic countries is still limited, because the sharing economy still represents a very small part of the Nordic countries’ total economy. This study breaks new ground and paves the way for new studies,”
says the chair of the Nordic Environment and Economy Group,
Signe Krarup notes that the climate impact of sharing economy initiatives hinges on whether emissions are covered by any climate policy instruments. However, various initiatives in the sharing economy in the Nordic countries show there is considerable potential to provide consumers with various benefits that may also improve economic efficiency.
Read the full storywww.norden.org