Principles for Reporting Emissions from Urban Mobility

The World Economic Forum's Global New Mobility Coalition presents a framework of seven principles to move urban mobility carbon reporting beyond organizational footprints toward 'passenger carbon intensity' (emissions per passenger distance). The principles emphasize public-private collaboration, the inclusion of indirect operational emissions (such as vehicle relocation), and the clear definition of geographical boundaries to avoid double-counting. The goal is to provide comparable data that informs the optimal 'modal mix' for urban trips and supports the transition to zero-emission vehicles.

• The document argues that standard carbon accounts for mobility operators and cities are insufficient because they do not provide data on the emission intensity of individual urban trips, which often involve multiple providers.
• The framework proposes 'passenger carbon intensity'—defined as emissions per passenger distance—as a more meaningful metric for comparing different mobility modes than traditional fuel-efficiency metrics.
• To ensure accuracy, the principles recommend that geographical system boundaries be aligned with the city regulator's capacity to act, typically meaning municipal boundaries, with out-of-boundary trip portions accounted for separately.
• The principles advocate for the inclusion of indirect operational emissions, such as 'deadhead' mileage (moving vehicles to pick-up points) and vehicle relocation for bike-sharing, to provide a true picture of a mode's efficiency.
• There is a significant risk of double-counting emissions in urban mobility; for example, a California Air Resources Board study found that nearly 11% of vehicle miles travelled overlapped between at least two companies.
• The framework suggests combining carbon intensity metrics with a 'travel-efficiency metric'—the ratio of person distance travelled to vehicle distance travelled—to understand how effectively a mode optimizes the movement of people over assets.

APA

World Economic Forum (2022). Principles for Reporting Emissions from Urban Mobility. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Principles_for_Reporting_Emissions_from_Urban_Mobility_2022.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Principles for Reporting Emissions from Urban Mobility. 2022. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Principles_for_Reporting_Emissions_from_Urban_Mobility_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Principles for Reporting Emissions from Urban Mobility |date=February 2022 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Principles_for_Reporting_Emissions_from_Urban_Mobility_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2022principles, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Principles for Reporting Emissions from Urban Mobility}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Principles_for_Reporting_Emissions_from_Urban_Mobility_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }