Global emissions in flux: How logistics and politics shape our carbon footprint
image: The impact of logistics and political decisions on greenhouse gas emissions in market transformation
Credit: Viatcheslav Kulagin, Anna Kuklina & Dmitriy Grushevenko
The transportation sector, the second-largest emitter of global greenhouse gases, is undergoing a transformation with electrification and subsidies aimed at reducing its carbon footprint. Yet, a critical aspect often overlooked is the role of logistics in global trade and how geopolitical decisions can undermine these efforts. This study sheds light on the impact of suboptimal logistics on greenhouse gas emissions, using recent geopolitical restrictions between Russia and Western countries since 2022 and a scenario of reduced trade through the Red Sea observed in 2024.
The research reveals that the annual increase in emissions due to inefficient logistics in the trade of Russian hydrocarbons, and the redirection of goods through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait instead of the Red Sea, could amount to 630–690 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq). This figure surpasses the total emissions from all sectors in countries like Australia, Turkey, Spain, Argentina, and even the UK and the Netherlands.
This study underscores that international logistics is a pivotal area that needs scrutiny in decarbonization efforts of the global transport sector and broader low-carbon development goals. It highlights that sanctions and geopolitical restrictions can hinder the achievement of the Paris Agreement goals, which are integral to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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Journal reference: Kulagin, V., Kuklina, A. & Grushevenko, D. The impact of logistics and political decisions on greenhouse gas emissions in market transformation. Carbon Res. 4, 8 (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s44246-024-00172-7
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About Carbon Research
The journal Carbon Research is an international multidisciplinary platform for communicating advances in fundamental and applied research on natural and engineered carbonaceous materials that are associated with ecological and environmental functions, energy generation, and global change. It is a fully Open Access (OA) journal and the Article Publishing Charges (APC) are waived until Dec 31, 2025. It is dedicated to serving as an innovative, efficient and professional platform for researchers in the field of carbon functions around the world to deliver findings from this rapidly expanding field of science. The journal is currently indexed by Scopus and Ei Compendex, and as of June 2025, the dynamic CiteScore value is 15.4.