Abstract: Policy makers around the world are promoting different initiatives to face the threat of global warming. This work focuses on the transport sector. In particular, it focuses on those initiatives that promote the shift of traffic from road to sea by supporting short sea shipping services in order to reduce air emissions. The aim is to contribute to the debate about the desirability of this modal rebalance from an environmental point of view. To this end, the so-called iso-emission map is proposed. This new tool allows to identify the geographical scope where each transport alternative is more environmentally friendly. It is focused on physical emissions, therefore it provides an additional and complementary point of view about the suitability of any modal shift. To illustrate the proposal made, the iso-emission map is introduced through a case study: The motorway of the sea Gijón-St. Nazaire.

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