Research edited by D. Baldaccini (PhD student, University of Milan-Bicocca), P. Lattarulo (IRPET), M. G. Pazienza (University of Florence), L. Piccini (IRPET), and C. Pollastri (Parliamentary Budget Office)
Research edited by D. Baldaccini (PhD student, University of Milan-Bicocca), P. Lattarulo (IRPET), M. G. Pazienza (University of Florence), L. Piccini (IRPET), and C. Pollastri (Parliamentary Budget Office)
The report is part of the GRINS project – Growing Resilient, INclusive and Sustainable (GRINS PE00000018 – CUP C93C22005270001) project, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, Mission 4, Component 2, as Spoke 6 – IDEATES Project IntegrateD Analysis of Economic, Technological and Social factors for Energy efficiency of the housing and vehicle Stock. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, nor can the European Union be held responsible for them.
This work is part of empirical studies on the effects of climate mitigation and adaptation policies, investigating the potential role played by road transport. Particular attention will be paid to behavioral aspects linked to a more sustainable development and consumption model, concerning the purchase and use of motor vehicles. The distributional aspects of decarbonization processes and inequalities from a territorial and socio-demographic point of view will be observed.
Access to an extensive transport network is now an essential component of individuals’ quality of life and economic growth. Mobility is now an individual right and contributes to the overall capabilities of citizens, who, through a wider range of travel options, can access job and consumption opportunities that better meet their needs. Nevertheless, transport contributes significantly to local and climate-changing pollutant emissions that are harmful to the environment and health. This is all the more true given that our country has historically been characterized by a marked modal imbalance, which manifests itself in a particularly high propensity to use cars, both by individuals and businesses. This is demonstrated by both the number of cars per capita, which is among the highest in Europe and constantly growing, and the percentage of goods transported by land. This results in significant costs for the community, both in terms of healthcare and time lost unproductively in travel, as well as direct and indirect, tangible and intangible costs. The total cost of externalities from accidents, emissions, congestion, and noise amounts to 3% of GDP and accounts for 15% of public spending and 43% of healthcare spending in Tuscany (IRPET calculations, 2024).
Europe has made decarbonization and energy conversion one of its main priorities for the near future, and our country has fully embraced this approach. This strategy requires significant collective and individual investment, and it will take a long time to achieve appreciable results. The transition to more sustainable transport models entails costs for the community and individuals, of which there is still little awareness, and risks marginalizing significant sections of the population. The availability of an original micro-level administrative database on car ownership in Tuscany makes it possible to investigate the individual attitudes and behaviors that drive the renewal of the vehicle fleet and the choice of green modes of transport. Integration with tax data also allows us to explore the relationship between these choices and individual and family characteristics, as well as the importance of family income and ISEE category. To this end, the study proposes a descriptive analysis of the propensity to purchase green cars based on individual, family, territorial, and income characteristics. This is followed by a summary of behavioral elasticities through the application of a multilevel model and the estimation of related predictions. Models will be applied to estimate the impacts of specific public policies implemented at the local or national level.
