The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) has released a new independent study showing that if commuters across G20 countries carpooled, used buses more, and worked from home part of the week, annual passenger transport emissions could fall by 408–538 million tonnes of CO₂ (MtCO₂) by 2050 — a reduction roughly equal to South Africa's entire annual carbon emissions in 2024.
The study, titled A Global Mission LiFE: Mitigation Potential of Behavioural Change in Passenger Transport in G20 Countries, builds on India's Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) framework launched at COP26, and models the impact of similar behavioural shifts across G20 economies using the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM V8.2). The G20 countries covered in the study account for 84% of global GDP and 78% of global CO₂ emissions.
According to the findings, the modelled shifts would reduce passenger transport emissions by 15–20% below business-as-usual levels by 2050. Carpooling emerged as the single largest lever, capable of cutting emissions by 236–411 MtCO₂ annually, with up to 92% of these savings concentrated in developed countries and China.
Developed Countries, China to Gain Most from Emission Savings
The benefits are unevenly distributed. Developed countries and China — where car ownership and travel distances are highest — would account for 80–88% of the combined savings, with the United States and EU-15 alone contributing 61–63%. On a per-capita basis, the study found an average American's emissions-savings potential from these shifts is up to 56 times that of an average Indian.
Oil Savings and Energy Security Benefits of Behaviour Change
The report also points to energy-security benefits. It estimates that behaviour change could save approximately 2,715 million tonnes of oil use in transport between 2025 and 2050 — equivalent to 59% of global oil demand in 2024, and cumulatively worth around USD 2.3 trillion at April 2026 oil prices.
Dr Vaibhav Chaturvedi, Senior Fellow, CEEW, said, "Mission LiFE was India's call to go beyond production and make climate action about responsible consumption. This CEEW study gives that vision a global evidence base. The largest gains from shifts in transport behaviour are in high-emitting economies, where mobility systems are most car-dependent. This is a call for smarter cities, better workplaces, cleaner mobility, and lower oil dependence towards improving quality of life."
Rohini Dikshit, Programme Associate, CEEW, said, "Our study shows that the geography of emission savings matters. Developed countries and China have the greatest absolute savings potential because their mobility systems are more car-dependent, while India's per-capita potential is much lower. For India and other developing Countries, the opportunity is to avoid future lock-in to private-vehicle dependence. For richer, car-dependent economies, behaviour change must become a near-term climate mitigation lever."
CEEW's Policy Recommendations for G20 Countries
CEEW has recommended that G20 countries incorporate measurement of behavioural mitigation into national climate plans. It suggests developed countries and China prioritise carpooling platforms, hybrid work norms, and congestion and parking charges, while developing countries focus on expanding and electrifying bus fleets and building shared-mobility incentives.