ISBN Number: 9264027122
Published on 16 Nov 2006
Pages: 113

Decoupling the Environmental Impacts of Transport from Economic Growth

OECD Environment Directorate

Economic growth requires an efficient transport system, and transport activity continues to cause large adverse impacts on the environment, human health and the economy. But is a negative impact of transport on the environment a necessary consequence of economic growth?  This volume offers a comprehensive discussion of recent research on the links between transport demand and economic growth. It provides an in-depth discussion of environmental and economic effects of a package of instruments for decoupling environmentally impacts of transport from economic growth -- and how to overcome obstacles to their implementation.

This book illustrates that decoupling the environmental impacts of transport from economic growth is achievable, through the efficient use of charges, fees, taxes and other economic instruments. These economic approaches can complement regulatory measures to encourage a shift towards more environmentally-friendly modes of transport, such as from road to certain forms of rail transport. Other factors which could help to decouple transport impacts from economic growth are improvements in freight transport logistics, and dematerialisation. All of these approaches should be applied with particular attention to the circumstances and characteristics of individual countries; some instruments that fit well in one country might not be well adapted to others.