Analysis of emissions from city transportation in the aegean region; systematic review of emissions' impact on the environment and human health

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to determine the amount of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from road transportation in the cities of Afyon, Aydın, Denizli, İzmir, Kütahya, Manisa, Muğla and Uşak, which are located within the Aegean Region, between 2010 and 2019. Additionally, the research aimed to compare the transportation emission values of cities, analyze the impact of transportation-related emissions on the environment and human health and identify measures and alternative transportation options to reduce the amount of road-based emission in Aydın province in line with the Paris Agreement targets. Materials and Methods: The research was conducted using two methods. Firstly, a cross-sectional study was carried out on greenhouse gas emissions from road transportation in selected cities between 2010 and 2019. The data was collected from EMRA reports and TURKSTAT, and analyzed using the Tier 1 method developed by the IPCC. Secondly, observational studies were conducted to report the effects of transportation emissions on the environment and human health in Turkey. The data was collected from various search engines such as Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Springer Link, TR Index, and DergiPark, and analyzed using the narrative method with the systematic compilation method. Findings: The first section of the study found that in eight cities within the borders of the Aegean Region (Afyon, Aydın, Denizli, İzmir, Kütahya, Manisa, Muğla, and Uşak), the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by transportation in 2010 was 8.224.04 Gg CO2 equivalent (e.) It was found to have increased to 14,151.43 Gg CO2 in 2019 (e.). The total amount of greenhouse gas emissions increased by 72.14% between 2010 and 2019. From the comparison of data between 2010 and 2019, it has been observed that total greenhouse gas emissions in Izmir, Muğla, and Manisa were 3,300.06 Gg CO2e, 995.73 CO2e, and 953.88 CO2e respectively in 2010. In 2019, the top three cities with the highest greenhouse gas emissions were Izmir with 4,815.82 Gg CO2e, Manisa with 2,084.23 CO2e, and Denizli with 2,001.85 CO2e. The cities with the highest increase in greenhouse gas emissions per capita were Kütahya (153.88%), Manisa (109.02%), and Denizli (102.93%). In terms of greenhouse gas emissions per vehicle, Kütahya (76.00%), Manisa (50.21%), and Denizli (46.69%) ranked the highest. Kütahya (148.32%), Denizli (124.80%), and Manisa (118.65%) were the top three cities with the highest increase in greenhouse gas emissions per square kilometer between 2010 and 2019. It was found that the top three cities with the highest proportional increase in the total number of vehicles between 2010 and 2019 were Muğla (58.89%), Aydın (57.58%), and Denizli (53.11%). In the second phase of the study, it was found that 14 papers that addressed the effects of transportation-related emissions on the environment and public health in Turkey in 2017 and beyond were appropriate for systematic review, which could also be used for qualitative synthesis. It was also established that the methods used in the studies included in the systematic review, aimed at determining emissions caused by traffic and determining the amount of emission. Conclusion: Consistent with the results of the first section of this research, it was determined that in eight cities located within the borders of the Aegean Region, the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from road transportation increased dramatically between 2010 and 2019. In the second part, it was inferred that the findings obtained as a result of the study included in the systematic review were research based on significant evidence indicating that emissions from road transportation could have an impact on human and environmental health