UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies

The use of energy accounts for a major fraction of all anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (IPCC, 1995) , and in most industrialized countries the use of transportation fuels and electricity accounts for a major fraction of all energy-related emissions. In the transportation sector alone, emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the production and use of motor-vehicle fuels account for as much as 30% of CO2 emissions from the use of all fossil fuels (DeLuchi, 1991). The production and use of fuels for transportation and electricity also results in emissions of other greenhouse gases, including methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). In light of this, and in the face of growing concern about global climate change, analysts have started to evaluated energy strategies for their potential impact on global climate (EIA, 1991a; IEA, 1989; OTA, 1990; Victor, 1992).