The role of public policies in reducing vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases in the state of São Paulo

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to identify the impact of the public policies on vehicular greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction in the state of São Paulo (Brazil), from 2009, the year of Climate Changes State Policy creation, until 2018, decrease emissions due to increased use of ethanol. The methodology used is organized in three steps: a comprehensive literature review, data collection and analysis. To measure the correlation between the analyses data, it used the Pearson’s coefficient to calculate the correlation between the data found. Thus, the study demonstrated the vehicular GHG progress and its relationship with the fleet history, average fuel prices, and São Paulo state’s Gross Domestic Product. It was observed that main responsible for the GHG vehicle emissions in São Paulo’s state were diesel vehicles, the main fuel used by trucks. In the individual passenger follow-up, ethanol played a substantial role in reducing emissions, however, there has not yet been a significant decrease in their volume, and the achievement of the vehicle emissions target set by PEMC for the year 2020 is uncertain. Therefore, it is necessary to implement sustainable public policies and designed in the short, medium, and long terms, and that contribute more effectively to the road modal.