On a Mission to Cut Emissions: Reducing the Carbon Footprint in Paris Whilst Maintaining an Efficient Transport System

In 2018, the socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, in the fourth of her six-year mandate, embarked on a vision to create a greener city, free from polluting vehicles. Two years earlier, recognizing the global climate emergency and the need to keep global warming below 1.5C°, the city of Paris had set out an ambition to attain carbon neutrality by 2050. Major policy and structural changes were proposed. Reducing transport emissions by 85% implied drastic reductions in travel, regulating polluting traffic, and encouraging shifts in modes of transport. Hidalgo had to mobilise both public and private stakeholders to deliver and adopt low-carbon products and infrastructure.

This case can be used as a stand-alone case, or as a follow-on to the case study “A Free-floating Fiasco? Shared Mobility in Paris” by the same authors.

The teaching objectives relate to public and private stakeholders: 1) To carry out a PESTLE analysis - political, economic, social, technological and legal; 2) To understand the actors, interests, power, perspectives and needs of the different stakeholders; 3) Review current patterns of transport usage and consider the complex trade-offs necessary to substantially reduce transport emissions over the long term while ensuring that Paris remains a vibrant economic hub and a pleasant place to live. The case allows students to understand the challenges and trade-offs of managing public and private stakeholders as the female protagonist pursues her broader political agenda. They include people living and working in the city, policy makers, regulators and transport operators. It covers multiple issues, including public transport infrastructure, alternative modes of transport, traffic congestion, green mobility, air pollutants, public subsidies and parking.