IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v24y2012icp159-167.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A small step toward environmentally sustainable transport? The media debate over the Finnish carbon dioxide-based car tax reform

Author

Listed:
  • Nygrén, Nina A.
  • Lyytimäki, Jari
  • Tapio, Petri

Abstract

Societies are increasingly characterised by increasing mobility of people and materials. Consequently, harmful environmental impacts of transport are likely to increase unless specific policies aimed at mitigating these impacts can be successfully implemented. Based on EU-level requirements for carbon dioxide emission reductions, a car tax reform was enacted in Finland in 2008. By using the environmental protection process (EPP) framework as a conceptual tool, we perform a quantitative content analysis of media discussion of the car tax reform. The EPP framework is an integrative tool, aimed at an overall view of the characteristics of environmental problems and mitigation measures. The results show that societal factors, emissions, measures and the potential side-effects of the reform dominated the media discussion. Short-term impacts were emphasised over longer-term perspectives in the discussion’s future-orientation. Overall, it seems that in spite of a relatively wide-ranging discussion, the media debate contributed only marginally to public understanding of the prerequisites for environmentally sustainable transport.

Suggested Citation

  • Nygrén, Nina A. & Lyytimäki, Jari & Tapio, Petri, 2012. "A small step toward environmentally sustainable transport? The media debate over the Finnish carbon dioxide-based car tax reform," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 159-167.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:24:y:2012:i:c:p:159-167
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2012.08.009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X1200145X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2012.08.009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hickman, Robin & Ashiru, Olu & Banister, David, 2010. "Transport and climate change: Simulating the options for carbon reduction in London," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 110-125, March.
    2. A. Greening, Lorna & Greene, David L. & Difiglio, Carmen, 2000. "Energy efficiency and consumption -- the rebound effect -- a survey," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(6-7), pages 389-401, June.
    3. Winslott-Hiselius, Lena & Brundell-Freij, Karin & Vagland, Asa & Byström, Camilla, 2009. "The development of public attitudes towards the Stockholm congestion trial," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 269-282, March.
    4. Tapio, Petri, 2005. "Towards a theory of decoupling: degrees of decoupling in the EU and the case of road traffic in Finland between 1970 and 2001," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 137-151, March.
    5. Sorrell, Steve, 2009. "Jevons' Paradox revisited: The evidence for backfire from improved energy efficiency," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 1456-1469, April.
    6. Ono, Yuji, 1993. "Japan's sustainable transport policy towards the 21st century," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 32-42, October.
    7. Yedla, Sudhakar & Shrestha, Ram M. & Anandarajah, Gabrial, 2005. "Environmentally sustainable urban transportation--comparative analysis of local emission mitigation strategies vis-a-vis GHG mitigation strategies," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 245-254, May.
    8. Vigar, Geoff & Shaw, Andrew & Swann, Richard, 2011. "Selling sustainable mobility: The reporting of the Manchester Transport Innovation Fund bid in UK media," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 468-479, March.
    9. Ribeiro, Suzana K & Kobayashi, Shigeki & Beuthe, Michel & Gasca, Jorge & Greene, David & Lee, David S. & Muromachi, Yasunori & Newton, Peter J. & Plotkin, Steven & Sperling, Daniel & Wit, Ron & Zhou, , 2007. "Transportation and its Infrastructure," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt98m5t1rv, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    10. Binswanger, Mathias, 2001. "Technological progress and sustainable development: what about the rebound effect?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 119-132, January.
    11. J. Daniel Khazzoom, 1980. "Economic Implications of Mandated Efficiency in Standards for Household Appliances," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 4), pages 21-40.
    12. Ryley, Tim & Gjersoe, Nathalia, 2006. "Newspaper response to the Edinburgh congestion charging proposals," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 66-73, January.
    13. Jari Lyytimäki & Timo Assmuth & Mikael Hildén, 2011. "Unrecognized, concealed, or forgotten -- the case of absent information in risk communication," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(6), pages 757-773, June.
    14. Banister, David, 2008. "The sustainable mobility paradigm," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 73-80, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ardıç, Özgül & Annema, Jan Anne & van Wee, Bert, 2015. "The reciprocal relationship between policy debate and media coverage: The case of road pricing policy in the Netherlands," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 384-399.
    2. Mononen, Petri & Leviäkangas, Pekka & Haapasalo, Harri, 2017. "From internal efficiency to societal benefits – Multi modal transport safety agency's socio-economic impact analysis," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 78-90.
    3. Jari Lyytimäki, 2023. "Storylines nailing or failing sustainability: Energy, mining and mobility as narrative arenas for societal transition," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(1), pages 170-179, February.
    4. Nygrén, Nina A. & Kontio, Panu & Lyytimäki, Jari & Varho, Vilja & Tapio, Petri, 2015. "Early adopters boosting the diffusion of sustainable small-scale energy solutions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 79-87.
    5. Mononen, Petri & Leviäkangas, Pekka, 2016. "Transport safety agency's success indicators – How well does a performance management system perform?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 230-239.
    6. Ardıç, Özgül & Annema, Jan Anne & van Wee, Bert, 2013. "Has the Dutch news media acted as a policy actor in the road pricing policy debate?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 47-63.
    7. Helfand, Gloria & McWilliams, Michael & Bolon, Kevin & Reichle, Lawrence & Sha, Mandy & Smith, Amanda & Beach, Robert, 2016. "Searching for hidden costs: A technology-based approach to the energy efficiency gap in light-duty vehicles," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 590-606.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thomas, Brinda A. & Azevedo, Inês L., 2013. "Estimating direct and indirect rebound effects for U.S. households with input–output analysis Part 1: Theoretical framework," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 199-210.
    2. Cédric Gossart, 2015. "Rebound effects and ICT : a review of the literature," Post-Print hal-01258112, HAL.
    3. Guzzo, D. & Walrave, B. & Videira, N. & Oliveira, I.C. & Pigosso, D.C.A., 2024. "Towards a systemic view on rebound effects: Modelling the feedback loops of rebound mechanisms," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    4. Blum, Bianca & Hübner, Julian & Milde, Adrian & Neumärker, Karl Justus Bernhard, 2018. "On the evidence of rebound effects in the lighting sector: Implications for promoting LED lighting," The Constitutional Economics Network Working Papers 05-2018, University of Freiburg, Department of Economic Policy and Constitutional Economic Theory.
    5. Möller, Jasmin & Daschkovska, Kateryna & Bogaschewsky, Ronald, 2019. "Sustainable city logistics: rebound effects from self-driving vehicles," Chapters from the Proceedings of the Hamburg International Conference of Logistics (HICL), in: Jahn, Carlos & Kersten, Wolfgang & Ringle, Christian M. (ed.), Digital Transformation in Maritime and City Logistics: Smart Solutions for Logistics. Proceedings of the Hamburg International Conference of Logistics, volume 28, pages 299-337, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Institute of Business Logistics and General Management.
    6. Heesen, Florian & Madlener, Reinhard, 2016. "Technology Acceptance as Part of the Energy Performance Gap in Energy-Efficient Retrofitted Dwellings," FCN Working Papers 25/2014, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    7. Blum, Bianca & Hübner, Julian & Müller, Sarah & Neumärker, Karl Justus Bernhard, 2018. "Challenges for sustainable environmental policy: Influencing factors of the rebound effect in energy efficiency improvements," The Constitutional Economics Network Working Papers 02-2018, University of Freiburg, Department of Economic Policy and Constitutional Economic Theory.
    8. Estrella Trincado & Antonio Sánchez-Bayón & José María Vindel, 2021. "The European Union Green Deal: Clean Energy Wellbeing Opportunities and the Risk of the Jevons Paradox," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-23, July.
    9. Wang, Zhaohua & Han, Bai & Lu, Milin, 2016. "Measurement of energy rebound effect in households: Evidence from residential electricity consumption in Beijing, China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 852-861.
    10. David Font Vivanco & Jaume Freire‐González & Ray Galvin & Tilman Santarius & Hans Jakob Walnum & Tamar Makov & Serenella Sala, 2022. "Rebound effect and sustainability science: A review," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(4), pages 1543-1563, August.
    11. Cédric Gossart, 2015. "Rebound effects and ICT : a review of the literature," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-01258112, HAL.
    12. Julia Bock-Schappelwein & Michael Böheim & Elisabeth Christen & Stefan Ederer & Matthias Firgo & Klaus Friesenbichler & Werner Hölzl & Mathias Kirchner & Angela Köppl & Agnes Kügler & Christine Mayrhu, 2018. "Politischer Handlungsspielraum zur optimalen Nutzung der Vorteile der Digitalisierung für Wirtschaftswachstum, Beschäftigung und Wohlstand," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 61256.
    13. Zhang, Jiangshan & Lin Lawell, C.-Y. Cynthia, 2017. "The macroeconomic rebound effect in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 202-212.
    14. Lange, Steffen & Pohl, Johanna & Santarius, Tilman, 2020. "Digitalization and energy consumption. Does ICT reduce energy demand?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    15. Alcott, Blake, 2008. "The sufficiency strategy: Would rich-world frugality lower environmental impact," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(4), pages 770-786, February.
    16. Karen Turner, 2013. ""Rebound" Effects from Increased Energy Efficiency: A Time to Pause and Reflect," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 4).
    17. Ouyang, Xiaoling & Gao, Beiying & Du, Kerui & Du, Gang, 2018. "Industrial sectors' energy rebound effect: An empirical study of Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 408-416.
    18. Orea, Luis & Llorca, Manuel & Filippini, Massimo, 2015. "A new approach to measuring the rebound effect associated to energy efficiency improvements: An application to the US residential energy demand," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 599-609.
    19. Christian Haas and Karol Kempa, 2018. "Directed Technical Change and Energy Intensity Dynamics: Structural Change vs. Energy Efficiency," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 4).
    20. Vigar, Geoff & Shaw, Andrew & Swann, Richard, 2011. "Selling sustainable mobility: The reporting of the Manchester Transport Innovation Fund bid in UK media," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 468-479, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:24:y:2012:i:c:p:159-167. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30473/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.