Reframing the sustainability transformation of mobility systems through cognitive sustainability: An integrated perspective on cost structures, decision-making, and emission dynamics

Mate, Zoldy (2026) Reframing the sustainability transformation of mobility systems through cognitive sustainability: An integrated perspective on cost structures, decision-making, and emission dynamics. COGNITIVE SUSTAINABILITY, 5 (2). ISSN 2939-5240

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Abstract

This work reinterprets the sustainability transformation of mobility systems from a cognitive sustainability perspective, integrating economic mechanisms, decision-making processes, and emission dynamics into a unified analytical framework. While traditional approaches emphasise cost structures and policy incentives, this work argues that the transformation cannot be fully understood without considering the cognitive dimension of decision-making. Total cost of ownership (TCO) is positioned as a central mediating construct that not only reflects economic rationality but also serves as a cognitively informed decision interface shaped by perception, trust, and information asymmetry. The analysis highlights that the relationship between costs and emissions is dynamic and non-linear over time, particularly in the case of electrification, where short-term emission increases can precede long-term sustainability benefits. By integrating economic, environmental, and cognitive layers, the study proposes a feedback-driven systems model in which policy instruments, cost structures, user choices, and emission trajectories evolve together. The results show that an effective sustainability transformation depends not only on optimising cost structures but also on shaping the cognitive frameworks through which these costs are perceived and internalised.

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