IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v17y2024i11p2645-d1405134.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainable Transport in the European Union: Exploring the Net-Zero Transition through Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Gaussian Graphical Modeling

Author

Listed:
  • Mirela Sichigea

    (Department Finance, Banking and Economic Analysis, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Craiova, 200585 Craiova, Romania)

  • Daniel Cîrciumaru

    (Department Finance, Banking and Economic Analysis, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Craiova, 200585 Craiova, Romania)

  • Valeriu Brabete

    (Department of Economics, Accounting and International Affairs, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Craiova, 200585 Craiova, Romania)

  • Cătălin Mihail Barbu

    (Department of Management, Marketing and Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Craiova, 200585 Craiova, Romania)

Abstract

The sustainability of the transport sector is targeted by various policies adopted by the European Union, and their impact must be constantly monitored in order to maximize the desired objective. This paper, through a two-stage investigation, aims to present a systemic approach of the sustainability dimensions in transport and to introduce an innovative technique to analyze the interdependencies between them. In the first stage, relevant indicators were selected from the Eurostat database for the content of four dimensions: economic, environmental, social and technological. The robustness of the developed dimensions was assessed and validated through a confirmatory factor analysis. In the second stage, a Gaussian graphical model was estimated as a technique integrating graphical and statistical modeling to identify complex structures of linkages between variables (as components of each dimension of sustainability). The structure of the network clearly highlights the dependence of transport on fossil fuel consumption as the main determinant of pollution in the sector (CO 2 emissions). In addition, the central role of railways in decarbonizing transport is highlighted, in contrast to the limited, and isolated at one end of the network, role of electric vehicles. The findings support that affordability of this new technology plays an important role in its impact on zero-emission transition. Concentrating on the period 2013–2022, at EU27 level, the results are relevant in the context of decarbonization policies, offering useful insights both for future research and policy makers.

Suggested Citation

  • Mirela Sichigea & Daniel Cîrciumaru & Valeriu Brabete & Cătălin Mihail Barbu, 2024. "Sustainable Transport in the European Union: Exploring the Net-Zero Transition through Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Gaussian Graphical Modeling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:11:p:2645-:d:1405134
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/11/2645/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/11/2645/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Georgatzi, Vasiliki V. & Stamboulis, Yeoryios & Vetsikas, Apostolos, 2020. "Examining the determinants of CO2 emissions caused by the transport sector: Empirical evidence from 12 European countries," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 11-20.
    2. Tsemekidi Tzeiranaki, Sofia & Economidou, Marina & Bertoldi, Paolo & Thiel, Christian & Fontaras, Georgios & Clementi, Enrico Luca & Franco De Los Rios, Camilo, 2023. "“The impact of energy efficiency and decarbonisation policies on the European road transport sector”," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bożena Gajdzik & Marcin Awdziej & Magdalena Jaciow & Ilona Lipowska & Marcin Lipowski & Grzegorz Szojda & Jolanta Tkaczyk & Radosław Wolniak & Robert Wolny & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2024. "Encouraging Residents to Save Energy by Using Smart Transportation: Incorporating the Propensity to Save Energy into the UTAUT Model," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-31, October.
    2. Carrilho-Nunes, Inês & Catalão-Lopes, Margarida, 2022. "The effects of environmental policy and technology transfer on GHG emissions: The case of Portugal," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 255-264.
    3. Rafał Nagaj & Bożena Gajdzik & Radosław Wolniak & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2024. "The Impact of Deep Decarbonization Policy on the Level of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the European Union," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-23, March.
    4. Wendler, Tobias & Töbelmann, Daniel & Günther, Jutta, 2021. "Natural resources and technology - on the mitigating effect of green tech," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242416, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    5. Tobias Eibinger & Hans Manner & Karl Steininger, 2024. "Shifting Gears? The Impact of Austria's Transport Policy Mix on CO2 Emissions from Passenger Cars," Graz Economics Papers 2024-10, University of Graz, Department of Economics.
    6. Lu, Qing & Fang, Huaxin, 2024. "Promoting low-carbon development in Yangtze River Delta area in China through the lens of decarbonization of industrial gas producers: A case study based on evolutionary game and Lotka-Volterra models," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    7. Hussain, Moon Moon & Pal, Shreya & Villanthenkodath, Muhammed Ashiq, 2023. "Towards sustainable development: The impact of transport infrastructure expenditure on the ecological footprint in India," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 2(2).
    8. Liu, Yang & Dong, Kangyin & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2023. "How does energy aid mitigate the recipient countries’ carbon emissions?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 359-375.
    9. Chien‐Chiang Lee & Ying Yuan & Huwei Wen, 2022. "Can digital economy alleviate CO2 emissions in the transport sector? Evidence from provincial panel data in China," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 46(3), pages 289-310, August.
    10. Hamdy Ahmad Aly Alhendawy & Mohammed Galal Abdallah Mostafa & Mohamed Ibrahim Elgohari & Ibrahim Abdalla Abdelraouf Mohamed & Nabil Medhat Arafat Mahmoud & Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed Mater, 2023. "Determinants of Renewable Energy Production in Egypt New Approach: Machine Learning Algorithms," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(6), pages 679-689, November.
    11. Bożena Gajdzik & Radosław Wolniak & Rafał Nagaj & Brigita Žuromskaitė-Nagaj & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2024. "The Influence of the Global Energy Crisis on Energy Efficiency: A Comprehensive Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-51, February.
    12. Carolina Clasen Sousa & Jorge Martins & Óscar Carvalho & Miguel Coelho & Ana Sofia Moita & Francisco P. Brito, 2022. "Assessment of an Exhaust Thermoelectric Generator Incorporating Thermal Control Applied to a Heavy Duty Vehicle," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-19, June.
    13. Lv, Zhike & Jiang, Fei & Xu, Ting, 2022. "Female parliamentarians and environment nexus: The neglected role of governance quality," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    14. Xingong Ding & Mengzhen Wang, 2024. "The Impact of Oil Price on Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the Transport Sector: The Threshold Effect of Environmental Policy Stringency," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-17, September.
    15. Neves, Sónia Almeida & Marques, António Cardoso & Patrício, Margarida, 2020. "Determinants of CO2 emissions in European Union countries: Does environmental regulation reduce environmental pollution?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 114-125.
    16. Xu, Chong & Li, Zhiwen & Chen, Boyang & Yang, Qian & An, Jiafu, 2024. "Low-carbon development in China's transportation sector: Multidimensional characteristics and policy implications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    17. Mohammad Pourmatin & Moein Moeini-Aghtaie & Erfan Hassannayebi & Elizabeth Hewitt, 2024. "Transition to Low-Carbon Vehicle Market: Characterization, System Dynamics Modeling, and Forecasting," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-36, July.
    18. Muhammad Umar Farooq & Azka Amin & Sun Peng & Cem Işık & Ramaisa Aqdas & Muhammad Akbar & Gul Sabahat & Serdar Ongan, 2023. "Role of Innovations to Mitigate CO 2 e: Theory and Evidence for European Economies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-13, May.
    19. Zeeshan Khan & Muhsin Ali & Dervis Kirikkaleli & Salman Wahab & Zhilun Jiao, 2020. "The impact of technological innovation and public‐private partnership investment on sustainable environment in China: Consumption‐based carbon emissions analysis," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 1317-1330, September.
    20. Tobias Eibinger & Hans Manner, 2022. "The Effectiveness of Policy Measures to Reduce CO2 Emissions from Passenger Cars in Austria," Graz Economics Papers 2022-04, University of Graz, Department of Economics.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:11:p:2645-:d:1405134. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.