Brand, ChristianAvila-Palencia, Ione, 1985-Gascon Merlos, Mireia, 1984-Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J.Rojas Rueda, David, 1979-Int Panis, Luc2022-06-032022-06-032021Brand C, Dons E, Anaya-Boig E, Avila-Palencia I, Clark A, de Nazelle A et al. The climate change mitigation effects of daily active travel in cities. Transportation Research Part D. 2021;93:102764. DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2021.1027641361-9209http://hdl.handle.net/10230/53376Active travel (walking or cycling for transport) is considered the most sustainable form of personal transport. Yet its net effects on mobility-related CO2 emissions are complex and under-researched. Here we collected travel activity data in seven European cities and derived life cycle CO2 emissions across modes and purposes. Daily mobility-related life cycle CO2 emissions were 3.2 kgCO2 per person, with car travel contributing 70% and cycling 1%. Cyclists had 84% lower life cycle CO2 emissions than non-cyclists. Life cycle CO2 emissions decreased by −14% per additional cycling trip and decreased by −62% for each avoided car trip. An average person who ‘shifted travel modes’ from car to bike decreased life cycle CO2 emissions by 3.2 kgCO2/day. Promoting active travel should be a cornerstone of strategies to meet net zero carbon targets, particularly in urban areas, while also improving public health and quality of urban life.application/pdfeng© 2021 World Health Organization; licensee Elsevier. This is an open access article under the CC BY IGO license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/)info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2021.102764CO2 emissionsActive mobilityWalkingCyclingClimate change mitigationSustainable urban transportinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess