According to a study published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, the world could reduce carbon emissions by nearly 700 million tons each year, equivalent to Canada’s annual emissions, if everyone commuted by bicycle every day.
The transport sector is responsible for a quarter of all current greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, and global transport demand is expected to triple by mid-century. Half of these emissions now come from cars, whose sales, unlike bicycles, are closely monitored.
An international team of researchers has compiled the world’s first database of bicycle ownership and use in 60 countries since the early 1960s. According to these researchers, between 1962 and 2015, more bicycles were produced than cars. And China accounted for nearly two-thirds of the more than 123 million bicycles manufactured in 2015.
In the 60 countries surveyed, the proportion of bicycle use for daily journeys averaged just 5%. In some countries, such as the United States, bicycles are plentiful, but their owners view cycling as a leisure activity rather than a daily mode of transportation, and short distances are often traveled by car.
But if everyone cycled an average of 1.6 kilometers a day, the average daily distance covered by Danes, the world would reduce CO2 emissions by about 414 million tonnes a year, the same as Britain’s annual emissions, the researchers calculate.
Cycling 2.6 kilometers a day like in the Netherlands could reduce emissions by 686 million tonnes a year, not counting the health benefits and improved air quality.