Road freight energy efficiency and CO2 emissions in the Nordic countries

• Analysis method is developed to compare road freight in four countries.
• CO2 emissions of road freight vary from 1.14 Mt in Denmark to 2.27 Mt in Sweden.
• The size of the economy is a major determinant for the emissions.
• Differences in transport intensity and energy efficiency also have a significant effect.

Nordic countries have committed to improve the energy efficiency and decrease the CO2 emissions of freight transport. The aim of this paper is to compare the energy efficiency and CO2 emissions in the road industry for the Nordic countries in 2010, in order to identify the key factors and their impact on energy efficiency and CO2 emissions. A joint analysis method was developed to compare data. Quantitative data was used to conduct a decomposition analysis for several sectors, taking several indicators into account. Statistics from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden include continuous road haulier surveys, national account data and fuel consumption data. The CO2 emissions of road freight transport in the Nordic countries vary from 1.14 Mt in Denmark to 2.27 Mt in Sweden. While the size of the economy, measured in gross value added (GVA), is a major determinant for the emissions, the differences in transport intensity and energy efficiency also have a significant effect on the total emissions. This study is the first of its kind for the Nordic countries. Our research can be used as a first step in a continuous evaluation of the determinants of road freight CO2 emissions in the European countries.