Abstract

The transport sector contributes globally around 14% of the greenhouse gas emissions, and one-third to the European Union’s. As an important economic sector, it requires an in-depth discussion, especially regarding environmental impacts. This paper focuses on transport-related life cycle assessment studies, as they are vital for the decision-making processes at various levels. We have framed our research on the requirements of the International organization for Standardization. We have given particular attention to the quality of life cycle assessment phases (goal and scope, inventory, life cycle impact assessment, and interpretation). We have explored 34 research and review papers, acquired from the Web of Science database. Furthermore, we have carried out a content scope analysis using Leximancer to determine and assess existing research areas and future trends. Results are represented via concept maps, giving a comprehensive overview of the life cycle assessment research in the transport. Our study indicates several incompatibilities with the standardised methodology. The findings suggest improvements in the methodological perspective. For example, system boundary represents a weakness in several studies as well as a comprehensive definition of goals or functional unit. Reliable and standardised studies are better-supporting decision-making process, leaving out any ambiguous understandings or manipulation of the results. A content analysis revealed most frequently discussed concepts, which were ‘impact’, ‘transport’, ‘emissions’, and ‘carbon’, suggesting existing research trends, and identifying research gaps, such as consumption-related topics.

Graphic abstract

中文翻译：

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关于运输相关主题生命周期评估的科学出版物的重要概述

摘要

在全球范围内，运输部门贡献了约14％的温室气体排放，占欧盟排放总量的三分之一。作为重要的经济部门，它需要深入讨论，尤其是在环境影响方面。本文着重于与运输有关的生命周期评估研究，因为它们对于各级决策过程至关重要。我们已经根据国际标准化组织的要求进行了研究。我们特别关注生命周期评估阶段的质量（目标和范围，清单，生命周期影响评估和解释）。我们已经探索了34篇从Web of Science数据库获得的研究和评论论文。此外，我们使用Leximancer进行了内容范围分析，以确定和评估现有研究领域和未来趋势。结果通过概念图表示，对运输过程中的生命周期评估研究进行了全面概述。我们的研究表明标准化方法存在一些不兼容之处。研究结果表明方法论方面的改进。例如，系统边界代表了多项研究的弱点，也是对目标或功能单元的全面定义。可靠和标准化的研究可以为决策过程提供更好的支持，而不会产生任何含糊的理解或对结果的操纵。内容分析揭示了讨论最多的概念，即“影响”，“运输”，“排放”和“碳”，

图形摘要