UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies

The process for developing a detailed, comprehensive model of lifecycle emissions of urban air pollutants and greenhouse gases from the use of variety of transportation modes is described. The Lifecycle Emissions Model (LEM) estimates energy use, criteria pollutant emissions, and CO2-equivalent greenhouse-gas emissions from a variety of transportation and energy lifecycles. It includes a wide range of modes of passenger and freight transport, electricity generation, heating and cooking, and more. For transport modes, it represents the lifecycle of fuels, vehicles, materials, and infrastructure. It accounts for energy use and all regulated air pollutants plus so-called greenhouse gases. It includes input data for up to 20 countries, for the years 1970 to 2050, and is fully specified for the U.S.