The current economic turmoil may lessen the demand for transport but the transport sector still contributes significantly to rising emissions of greenhouse gases, noise exposure, air pollution, fragmentation of habitats and impacts on wildlife.
The Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism (TERM) report for 2008 highlights this trend. Although there is growing awareness of the transport sector’s disproportionate impact on the environment, the report shows that there is little evidence of improved performance or a shift to sustainable transport across Europe.