The DLR project ELK: Mapping the global, regional and national emissions of transport

Transport and the related economic sectors contribute significantly to climate change. Emissions from these sectors are continuously growing, challenging the achievement of the Paris agreement. These sectors also have detrimental impacts on air quality and noise pollution. None of the currently available emission inventories can consistently account for the emissions (gas, particles and noise) of all transport modes (land transport, aviation, and shipping), while also considering the emissions from transport-related energy production, industrial processes and infrastructures. Moreover, most of the available inventories do not include information at subsector level, for example, they neither distinguish among different vehicle types nor consider key transport-related quantities other than emissions. However, emission inventories at such a level of detail are essential for a reliable quantification of the impact of transport at global, regional and national scales. In addition, consistent emission inventories are required for the development of future emission scenarios to assess the effectiveness of climate policies and other measures to improve air quality and to reduce noise pollution. To master this challenging task, the new strategic impulse project ELK – EmissionsLandKarte (en.: emission map) combines the interdisciplinary expertise of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) through a collaboration of 24 institutes and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon. ELK aims to establish a primary source of information for different stakeholders and working groups, such as national policy makers, the scientific community dealing with climate, air quality and noise modelling, and the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). A collaborative and interdisciplinary approach is necessary in order to cover the wide spectrum of topics inherent to the compilation of emission inventories. This includes, for instance, transport demand, emission indices, and the development of models, together with dedicated methods for data visualization and management. The diversity of data sources and the heterogeneity of data formats from different sectors and data providers require the combination of different modelling tools and approaches, along with the use of measurements and satellite data. Available DLR data and data from external providers will be processed and used as input to quantify spatially and temporally resolved transport volumes and emission distributions. Based on already available inventories, precise criteria for the design of the ELK emission inventories will be defined and their quality and usability in real-world applications will be assessed. Finally, a database structure and user interface will be established to guarantee an easy and reliable access to the final products for both internal and external users. The ELK project links the aeronautics, space, transport and energy research programs of the DLR.