Paris

The urban mobility emissions trajectory is moving in the right direction, but more efforts are needed for the city to achieve the 1.5°C target by 2030.

City dashboard (2022)
Population 7.1 million
Surface area (km2) 2,300
Mobility demand (km) 66 billion
Mobility demand per person per day (km) 25.2
Mobility emissions (CO2e) 4.8 megatons
Emissions per person per day (CO2e) 1.82 kilograms

Urban mobility global warming impact (2030)

[i]
Based on cities’ existing action plans
5°C 3°C 1°C
Target 0.0°C

0.0°C

City trajectory
Target 1.5°C

Emissions reductions required to reach the 1.5°C target by 2030

-0%

0.0MtCO2e

[i]
Megatons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (MtCO2e)


Introduction

Paris has a well-balanced mobility network, offering a variety of options

Paris offers a wide variety of mobility services, with a balanced modal share between cars (43%), public transit (36%), walking (16%), and other modes. Mobility demand is robust, as 66 billion kilometers (41 billion miles) were traveled in 2022, generating 4.8 MtCO2e.

And while personal cars account for less than half of trips made through Paris, they produce 86% of the city’s mobility emissions. Parisians should take advantage of new car-free zones, hundreds of kilometers of bike lanes, and a high density of metro stations.

More car alternatives are coming. As the host of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Paris has ramped up investments in public transport, shared mobility, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure. These investments are critical to reaching the goals, such as achieving 100% decarbonized public transport, set in the city’s 2030 Climate Action Plan.

Mobility demand and emissions (2022)

Demand
Emission

Current situation

Paris is on the right path to lower mobility emissions, but more sustainable action is needed

Based on city plans, mobility demand is expected to grow by 9% by 2030 while CO2 emissions are expected to decrease by 24%, driven by greater electric vehicle adoption and metro modal share.

Current mobility trends predict that electric vehicles will continue to increase in market share because of the city’s ban on gasoline-powered cars beginning in 2030, as well as increased investments in charging infrastructure.

The Grand Paris Express Project, scheduled for completion by 2030, is Europe's largest transport infrastructure project and will double the length of Paris’ rail lines. Trains will run on 200 kilometers (124 miles) of new, automated tracks around the city, serving 68 new stations.

However, Paris’ commitments to address transport emissions are still roughly 1.4 MtCO2e short of the target, requiring an additional 39% decrease in emissions on top of current commitments by 2030 to stay within 1.5°C of warming.

Mobility demand (by mode) and emissions trajectory (2022-2030) 

Mobility demand per mode
Total mobility emission

Optimization

How Paris can reach fulfill the Paris Agreement commitments by 2030

We explored four different optimization scenarios:

  • Default: Minimizes mobility behavior changes
  • Electrification: Accelerates the transition from gasoline and diesel vehicles to electric vehicles
  • Multimodal: Encourages the use of shared services and public transit
  • Active Mobility: Promotes walking and cycling as alternative modes of transport

All the optimization scenarios get Paris to the 1.5°C target, but to do so requires shifts in behavior or reductions in demand. For example, the active mobility scenario would require each person to walk an additional three kilometers, or two miles, per day. The electrification scenario is the best fit for Paris due to the city’s low-carbon intensive, nuclear grid.

  • Default
  • Electrification*
  • Multimodal
  • Active Mobility

* indicates the scenario that achieves the greatest realistic emissions reduction

Modal Shifts Required To Achieve 1.5°C (By Scenario)

When simulating realistic modal shifts, achieving 1.5°C would not be possible. When allowing larger shifts, achieving 1.5°C would require extreme changes: a reduction in total mobility demand of 10% or approximately 3.0 kilometers (1.9 miles) per person per day compared to 2022.

Reduce personal car use:

  • Expand low-emission zones (“ZFE”) or car-free areas (“Zones apaisées”)
  • Limit parking availability for personal vehicles

Increase active mobility such as cycling:

  • Promote active mobility by implementing the 15-minute city concept
  • Continue investing in cycling road infrastructure and bicycle sharing programs

Promote shared mobility:

  • Boost shared mobility options for users, mainly car as well as cycling and moped, through new incentives and promotion of electrified car-sharing programs

Modal Shifts Required To Achieve 1.5°C (By Scenario)

When simulating realistic modal shifts, achieving 1.5°C would not be possible. When allowing larger shifts, achieving 1.5°C would require extreme changes: a reduction in total mobility demand of 8% or approximately 2.3 kilometers (1.4 miles) per person per day compared to 2022.

Reduce personal car use:

  • Expand low-emission zones (“ZFE”) or car-free areas (“Zones apaisées”)
  • Limit parking availability for personal vehicles

Accelerate electrification of the fleet:

  • Accelerate fleet electrification (cars and buses) to swiftly achieve the 2030 Climate Action Plan goal of 100% decarbonized public transport

Increase active mobility such as cycling:

  • Promote active mobility by implementing the 15-minute city concept
  • Continue investing in cycling road infrastructure and bicycle sharing programs

Modal Shifts Required To Achieve 1.5°C (By Scenario)

When simulating realistic modal shifts, achieving 1.5°C would not be possible. When allowing larger shifts, achieving 1.5°C would require extreme changes: a reduction in total mobility demand of 10% or approximately 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles) per person per day compared to 2022.

Reduce personal car use:

  • Expand low-emission zones (“ZFE”) or car-free areas (“Zones apaisées”)
  • Limit parking availability for personal vehicles

Increase active mobility such as cycling:

  • Promote active mobility by implementing the 15-minute city concept
  • Continue investing in cycling road infrastructure and bicycle sharing programs

Promote shared mobilities:

  • Boost shared mobility options for users, mainly car as well as cycling and moped, through new incentives and promotion of electrified car-sharing programs

Modal Shifts Required To Achieve 1.5°C (By Scenario)

When simulating realistic modal shifts, achieving 1.5°C would not be possible. When allowing larger shifts, achieving 1.5°C would not require a reduction in total mobility demand but would require extreme increases in active mobility compared to 2022.

Reduce personal car use:

  • Expand low-emission zones (“ZFE”) or car-free areas (“Zones apaisées”)
  • Limit parking availability for personal vehicles

Increase walking:

  • Promote active mobility by implementing the 15-minute city concept
  • Continue investing in walking infrastructure, such as the conversion of the once polluted highway path along the Seine to a car-free linear park

Increase cycling:

  • Continue investing in cycling road infrastructure and bicycle sharing programs