Informe El medio ambiente en Europa: Estado y perspectivas 2020

PART 3
FIGURE 16.5 Fuel efficiency and fuel consumption in private cars, 1990-2015
Index = 1990
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Stock of cars GDP (2010 USD) Total distance travelled by cars Total energy consumption of cars
2012
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2015
CO 2
emissions of cars
Average consumption of cars (l/100 km)
Sources: Enerdata (2019); World Bank (2019).
of focusing on transforming whole
systems, rather than seeking to alter
aspects of production or consumption.
16.5.4
System interactions and
the resource nexus
Analysing production-consumption
systems in terms of their interlinked
social, economic and environmental
dimensions provides vital insights into
the barriers to transforming them.
Yet, focusing on individual systems
understates the governance challenge.
In reality, these systems (and others)
are linked in complex ways, creating
further lock-ins, trade-offs and
uncertainties.
The food, energy and mobility
systems are linked both directly and
indirectly. Relatively simple interactions
occur because the systems overlap
in significant respects, implying
that changes in one system have
implications in others. For example,
the shift to electric vehicles is likely
to play an important role in reducing
transport‐related GHG emissions in
coming years, but the benefits will
depend heavily on the source of
electricity used to charge vehicles
(Figure 16.6). Investment choices in
the electricity sector can therefore
constrain or enable the transition
towards electrical mobility.
The resource nexus
Less direct but very important links
between the food, energy and mobility
systems arise because of their shared
reliance on natural systems, both as
a source of resources and as a sink
for wastes and emissions. As a result,
SOER 2020/Understanding sustainability challenges
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