POD|LCA project data: Dataset on environmental impacts and emissions per mode of transportation in the United States

The environmental impact associated with different transportation modes
plays a critical role in accurately estimating the impacts of freight
movement in life cycle assessment (LCA). However, existing tools and
studies often report inconsistent values for transportation mode impacts,
leading to variability and reduced comparability in results. These
discrepancies stem from differences in data sources, system boundaries,
and underlying assumptions, all of which can significantly influence LCA
outcomes. Moreover, the estimated environmental impact per transportation
mode is often represented as a single value without a defined range,
limiting the ability to capture uncertainty and perform sensitivity
analysis in LCA. To address this challenge, a methodological framework was
developed to estimate environmental impacts and emissions of
transportation modes within the United States, with results presented as
summary tables in this dataset. The framework incorporates commonly used
modes for commodity transport and aims to provide more consistent,
transparent, and data-driven impact factors for use in LCA and related
analyses. This dataset reports environmental impacts and emissions for
multiple freight transportation modes, including diesel truck, electric
truck, rail, ocean freighter, barge, aircraft, and concrete mixer truck.
Environmental impacts are provided across three vehicle efficiency levels,
enabling transparent comparison of transportation assumptions. The dataset
also includes a summary of global warming potential (GWP) associated with
typical transportation modes for entire trips, including empty return
trips where applicable. Environmental impacts were evaluated in OpenLCA
(version 2.5.0) using the US EPA ISO21930-LCIA-US (v0.1) LCIA method. The
USLCI repository was used to obtain inventory data for processes
associated with these modes. For modes not available in USLCI at the time
of dataset development (mixer truck and electric truck), quantitative
methods were developed to calculate impacts and emissions; these methods
are documented in the associated publications. This dataset can be used to
estimate transportation-related environmental impacts when transportation
distances are known. It supports LCA studies, enables benchmarking, and
facilitates sensitivity analysis across transportation scenarios. The
included GWP summary tables can inform policymaking and early-stage
decision making, and support preliminary carbon footprint estimation. This
dataset was developed as part of the Parametric Open Data for Life Cycle
Assessment Project (POD|LCA) Project which contains a suite of open-source
methods, models, data, and a variety of tools for screening-level
(early-stage) building sector life cycle assessments (LCAs). This dataset
can be used to fill data gaps in LCA studies and is being integrated into
tools developed by the POD|LCA project. This results in a dataset of
environmental impact and emission data appropriate to be used to fill data
gaps for transportation of materials and commodities in the United States.
Please refer to the corresponding article for additional details. For more
information on the POD|LCA project, please visit
https://www.lifecyclelab.org/project/pod-lca/.