Transport for Sustainable Development – The case of Inland Transport
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Assessing Sustainable Development Each transportation system is unique, with its complexity derived from the pluralism of its hardware (infrastructure and vehicles) and of the people and organizations involved. The complexity is multiplied by the existence/roles of the different transport modes, the various regulatory and legislative bodies, service providers, builders, financing systems, technologies, land-use patterns, and, most importantly, human behaviour. Therefore, no single measurement of sustainable development allows an evaluation of the current state and progress of sustainability of transport. Transport sustainability is linked to many factors (e.g. DESA, 2013) making it necessary to establish a set of indicators to determine the current situation and trends. It is theoretically optimal to define these indicators based on the capital approach, i.e. of the sustainability of the total capital base of global society (UNECE, 2012). This capital base can be defined as consisting of three types of capital7, frequently referred to as the ‘triple bottom line’ of transport sustainability (Richardson, 2005): •
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Social capital, which refers to “the institutions, relationships and norms that shape the quality and quantity of a society’s social interactions” (World Bank, 2011). Transport connects people and provides access to basic social services; it is therefore a necessary condition for social sustainability. Economic capital refers to (tangible and intangible) financial capital. Transport provides access, connects people and business and is therefore essential for economic sustainability. Environmental capital refers to the natural capital, including stocks of natural resources, land and ecosystems. Transportation affects environmental capital negatively through pollution, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, energy use, waste generation and loss of natural habitat. Mitigation of these impacts is crucial for transport sustainability.
The economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainability are closely linked and a single policy distinction between these pillars is neither possible nor beneficial. In fact, the close linkage between all aspects of sustainability and efficiency, once understood and acknowledged, encourages the private sector to set sustainability goals in order to meet external demands coming from a growing number of concerned stakeholders. 8 Evaluation of the current state and future challenges involving the sustainability of transport should be made on the basis of trends/projections in transport accessibility, affordability, safety and security, environmental impacts, as well as the presence/promotion of integrated transport (e.g. intermodality). Transport accessibility can be measured against, for example, infrastructure density and quality. At the same time, international transport links play an important role in the economic development of regions. The flow/volume of international freight transport and border-crossing efficiency can provide an assessment of the performance of the transport system with respect to international accessibility. Mobility is an important factor for social and economic inclusion. Access to the most basic goods and services requires mobility; an affordable transport system is thus a prerequisite to social and economic development. Individual affordability can be evaluated by, for example, the share of transport expenditure Typically, five to six types of capital are used: financial capital, produced capital, natural capital, human capital and social capital. In the present report, these types have been aggregated into the three pillars of sustainable development: social, economic and environmental (see also UNECE, 2012).
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Wilmsmeier G., et al, “Efficiency — key ingredient towards sustainable supply chains”, ELCAC FAL Bulletin No. 331, Number 3 / 2014.
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