TEPR Projects: Sustainable transport

Transport has a wide range of environmental impacts. The most pressing problem is transport’s contribution to climate change, as transport is the source of around 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. The most common greenhouse gas emitted by transport is carbon dioxide (CO2) and reducing these emissions is proving to be a challenge.

Contributing to climate change is, however, far from being transport’s  only adverse impact. In urban areas, road transport is the largest contributor to poor air quality and high levels of noise. The construction and location of transport infrastructure can have negative impacts on biodiversity and wildlife, while many people are killed annually in transport accidents.

Ian Skinner and TEPR have worked extensively on sustainable transport. Currently, TEPR is working on the following project:

• Impact assessment support study on amendment of Combined Transport Directive, for the European Commission.

Other more general reports on sustainable transport include:

• Evaluation of the EU’s 2011 Transport White Paper, which was undertaken for the European Commission. For more details, see our blog.
• Green light for sustainable mobility: Vision and pathway to 2050, which was undertaken for the Greens/EFA group of MEPs in the European Parliament. The report set out a vision for a sustainable mobility system for 2050, as well as an overview of the policies that might be needed to get there. An article based on this report has subsequently been published in Green European Journal.
• Modal Shift in European transport: A Way Forward, which was undertaken for the Transport Committee of the European Parliament. The report assessed the progress that had been made in meeting the EU’s modal shift targets and made recommendations for additional measures.
• Air pollution and transport: Time to clear the air?, which was undertaken for the Campaign for Better Transport with TEPR Associate Malcolm Fergusson. This report involved a literature review and policy analysis, including recommendations on future policy action for national and local government.
• Instruments for Sustainable Transport in Europe, which also involved Malcolm Fergusson and was undertaken for the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.  The report involved a literature review, quantitative assessment and policy analysis.

Between 2014 and 2019, TEPR’s Ian Skinner was the ‘Sustainable Urban Mobility’ expert on the European Commission’s expert panel for the annual European Green Capital Award and the European Green Leaf Award.