Estimates of Air Pollutant Emissions by Vehicle Fleet in the State of Pará, Brazil: Impacts and Trends

Objective: aims to estimate emissions of the main atmospheric pollutants from vehicular sources in the state of Pará, to continue the environmental agenda of monitoring air quality. Theoretical Framework: The growing global concern about air quality in urban areas is driven by the environmental and public health impacts caused by air pollution. The concentration of pollutants from vehicle sources represents one of the main challenges, especially in densely populated regions such as the capital and other major cities in the state of Pará, where the automotive fleet has increased significantly. Method: The methodology used combined "bottom-up" and "top-down" methods to calculate emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO) and total hydrocarbons (HC) for different vehicle categories and fuel types. Data on licensed vehicle fleets and fuel consumption obtained from DETRAN-PA and ANP were used. Results and Discussion: The results revealed that gasoline-powered vehicles are responsible for the majority of CO and HC emissions, while diesel vehicles emit the largest amounts of NO into the atmosphere. Motorcycles were identified as the largest source of emissions due to their larger number in the circulating fleet. Our results also highlight the importance of assessing and monitoring vehicle emissions to develop effective air pollution control strategies. Research Implications: The information obtained in this study is unprecedented for the study area, and can therefore support the formulation of environmental policies aimed at reducing emissions of atmospheric pollutants in the state of Pará, thus promoting an improvement in air quality and public health. Originality/Value: This paper makes an unprecedented contribution to national and international literature on environmental pollution in large urban centers. On the eve of the largest climate and environment conference on the planet (COP30) to be held in Pará, Amazonas, this research joins efforts in relation to the monitoring, forecasting and mitigation of air pollution, considered one of the main environmental problems of today.