Transport needs in a climate-constrained world. A novel framework to reconcile social and environmental sustainability in transport

The amount of energy and carbon emissions that is required to satisfy transport needs in developed countries is high, has increased rapidly in the past few decades, and is likely to continue to do so in the future. In some contexts, such as car-dependent peri-urban and rural areas, the satisfaction of basic needs has come to depend on extensive use of carbon-intensive transport modes. This creates a tension between social and environmental sustainability, and gives rise to justice dilemmas. In this article, a novel framework is proposed to conceptualise the connections and tensions between justice in transport and accessibility, on one hand, and the consequences of transport emissions on global and intergenerational justice, on the other hand. The framework is based on the integration of philosophical (human needs theory) and sociological (structuration theory) perspectives. While human needs are anthropological invariants, need satisfiers are relative, contextual and historical. Over time, satisfiers can become more travel- and carbon-intensive through unintentional structuration processes. This encourages a critical look towards how the role of transport in need satisfaction has changed over time, how it might change in the future, and the role of 'excess travel' practices in pushing the envelope of transport needs.