Title:
Development of a calculator for estimation and management of GHG emissions from public transit agency operations

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dc.contributor.advisor Meyer, Michael D.
dc.contributor.author Weigel, Brent Anthony en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMember Garrow, Laurie
dc.contributor.committeeMember Southworth, Frank
dc.contributor.department Civil and Environmental Engineering en_US
dc.date.accessioned 2010-09-15T19:10:51Z
dc.date.available 2010-09-15T19:10:51Z
dc.date.issued 2010-07-08 en_US
dc.description.abstract As managers of extensive vehicle fleets and transportation infrastructures, public transit agencies present unique opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector. To achieve substantial and cost-effective GHG emissions reductions from their activities, public transit agencies need tools and resources that enable effective GHG emissions management. This research thesis presents the background, methodology, and results of the author's development of a public transit agency-level life cycle GHG emissions calculator. The development of the calculator involved a series of research efforts aimed at identifying and addressing the needs of transit agency GHG emissions management: a review of background information on climate change and public transit's role in mitigating climate change; a review of existing GHG emissions calculators for public transit agencies, a review of the methodologies for life cycle GHG emissions analysis; integration and adaption of existing calculation resources; development of calculator spreadsheets for estimating relevant lifecycle GHG emissions and quantifying GHG emission reduction cost-effectiveness; application of the developed calculator to a carbon footprint analysis for a typical mid-size to large-size transit agency; and application of the developed calculator to the evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of various potential strategies for reducing transit agency GHG emissions. The developed calculator provides an integrative resource for quantifying GHG emissions and costs of public transit agency activities, including GHG emission reduction strategies. Further research is needed to calibrate the estimation of upstream life cycle GHG emissions, particularly for vehicle manufacture and maintenance. en_US
dc.description.degree M.S. en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/1853/34840
dc.publisher Georgia Institute of Technology en_US
dc.subject Public transit en_US
dc.subject Life cycle analysis en_US
dc.subject Carbon footprint en_US
dc.subject Spreadsheet model en_US
dc.subject Cost-effectiveness en_US
dc.subject Climate change mitigation en_US
dc.subject.lcsh Greenhouse gas mitigation
dc.subject.lcsh Climatic changes
dc.subject.lcsh Local transit
dc.title Development of a calculator for estimation and management of GHG emissions from public transit agency operations en_US
dc.type Text
dc.type.genre Thesis
dspace.entity.type Publication
local.contributor.corporatename School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
local.contributor.corporatename College of Engineering
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication 88639fad-d3ae-4867-9e7a-7c9e6d2ecc7c
relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication 7c022d60-21d5-497c-b552-95e489a06569
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