TRANSPORT AND

THE
ENVIRONMENT
Transport and the environment is further
subdivided into the following sections:
 Impacts of transport on the environment.
 Impacts of the environment on transport.
 transport and environmental sustainability
DEFINATION OF TERMS

 Transportability- Refers to the ease of movement of passengers, freight or

information. It is related to transport costs as well as to the attributes of what is
being transported (fragility, perishability, price). Political factors can also influence
transportability such as laws, regulations, borders and tariffs (Rodrigue:2006).
 Transport is a system or means of conveying people or goods from one place to
another.
 Environment is the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is
surrounded or the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (such as
climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism or an ecological
community and ultimately determine its form and survival (Merriam Webster).
 Sustainability refers to the ability to maintain or support a process continuously
over time.
Impacts of transport on the environment.
(effects due to the development of infrastructure)
 Infrastructure maintenance and development plays a role on the effects of
transport on the environment.
 The development of seaports, airports, train stations, roads and railway lines have
impacts on the environment. The first being the major deforestation that will be
required in order to create space for such infrastructure.
 Deforestation leads the destruction of natural habitats and reduction in bio
diversity.
 There is also land degradation with the loosening of soil by diggers and
excavators .
Cont,

 The development of transport infrastructure also leads to water quality being

affected.
 underground water sources that may run particular transport infrastructure may be
affected by the use of chemical and materials that can be used during the process
of construction.
 For example, during construction, the trenches are sprayed with termites poison
that seeps into the soil.
 construction is associated with large amounts of waste that are produced when
transport related infrastructure is being development.
 In layman's terms that would be considered as land pollution. Which promotes the
spread of diseases and just an eyesore
Cont,

 The development of infrastructure can affect the scenery of the surroundings,

where beautiful greenery may have thrived but now they will now be replaced by
large concrete structures.
 However, this point is up for debate because it a subjective point that derives
relevance from different perspectives.
 For example, Masvingo train bridge.
Cont,

 Continuous linear developments such as highways and railways are characterised

by their potential to divide organism habitats.
 This results in loss of habitat , as well, as animal deaths due to collision while
trying to cross the road.
 this is a disruption of life cycles of amphibians and other animals that must travel
between forests and waters and reduced genetic diversity due to reduced chances
for mating between adjacent populations.
Impacts of transport on the environment.
(effects due to the means and modes of transport)
 the first is the emission of greenhouse gases from vehicle exhausts that ultimately
results in global warming and the issues of climate change that is associated with
it. For example, the rise in sea levels and melting of ice caps etc.
 Air transport accounts for 3.9% of carbon emissions for the transport sector as a
whole.
 Air pollution is an impact as well. With a variety of motor vehicles and other
forms of transport that rely on internal combustion there is a rise in air pollution.
carbon monoxide form exhaust fumes affecting the quality of the air. Over 100
thousand deaths are brought forward each year by transport-related pollutants, of
which over 70% are generated in urban areas(CEC,2007)
Cont,

 Another manner in which transport can affect the environment is through noise
pollution. With regards with noise pollution almost all modes of transport are
considered noisy perhaps save for marine transportation although there has been
research and quite a number of measures to mitigate these measures .
 There is increasing evidence of health effects from noise, particularly through
aggravation of heart conditions. Recent estimates of noise related health impacts
in the Netherlands suggest that current noise levels may be associated with
annoyance in 1.5-2 million people out of a pollution of 16 million. disturbed sleep
in half to 1 million people and about 220 000 cases of hypertension.
 In air transport the collision of birds and planes are a major problem which can
also pose a danger to human lives. the collision of birds with air crafts results in
the reduction of number of a species.
Cont,

 For reasons of satisfying a need, human beings travel to far away places.
However, in doing so there is an effect on bio diversity. When moving from place
people tend to bring with them variety of organisms whether intentionally or not.
 For example, transport can bring invasive species which can be mxed in with the
ballast water of ships. This is sea water that is held in ballast tanks in order to
stabilize ships especially when they are travelling under light loads.
 This sea water will often contain many forms of aquatic life and is released at a
different port when the ships take on loads.
 an example of such a situation is in australia where the japanese wakame seaweed
grew explosivley resulting in major damage to its fishing industry.
Cont,

 air travel also has a tendency of bringing with viruses and pathogens.
Impacts of the environment on transport.

 When dealing with impacts of the environment on transport it is mainly looking at

how the environment has an effect on the different modes and means of transport.
 different climates and environments cater for particular modes and means of
transport and other prove to be out of the question.
Cont,

 to begin with, we take a look at desert environments.

 Due to the harsh weather patterns inhabitants of desert climates make use of
caravans. these are a group of travellers travelling together by use camels as
commonly used in the deserts of Asia and North Africa.
 however, due to advancement in transport, people now use special automobiles
that are tuned to tackle the harsh conditions of the desert. For example, the dune
buggy.
Cont,

 Parts of Cambodia are characterised by villages on water.

 Kampong Village is a village on water.
 evidently , transport in this part of the world is characterised by river boats.
 These facilitate the movement of goods and services in and around such villages.
Weather patterns have impacts on the movements
of various modes of transport.
 weather affects the operation of the transportation systems that we all rely on.
 Daily operational decisions in the transport sector, such as the amount of cargo
that a plane or a barge can safely handle, must take weather conditions into
considerations
 In the case of air transport, weather phenomenon such as thunderstorms and the
rapidly rising or falling air currents which usually accompany them, can make air
travel uncomfortable for passengers and difficult for pilots to control the air craft.
Cont ,

 Climate, on the other hand , affects transportation infrastructure . Railways, ports,

piers, highways, bridges and other transportation infrastructure have been
optimized for the expected range of weather conditions that we call climate.
 When the weather becomes more extreme-more outside the bounds of what is
considered 'normal' climate - the transportation infrastructure becomes less
reliable and less safe.
Cont,

 Rising sea level and more intense flooding affect the safety and functionality of
bridges and trestles. Higher temperatures buckle railroad tracks and roadways.
 Stronger tropical cyclones damage transportation infrastructure, resulting in
delayed delivery of goods and services.
 Adverse impacts to transit time, delivery reliability and efficiency in turn affect
the cost of all goods transported by these systems.
 Another economic cost involves the retrofitting of infrastructure to adapt it to the
new climate, including more resilient or relocated transportation facilities in areas
subject to tropical cyclone, bridges and trestles with higher clearances to address
flooding and sea level rise.
Transport and environmental sustainability

 In this section we take a look at what is being done to develop systems of

transportation that promote the protection of the environment.
 legislation.
 In Japan the act for automobile recycling mandates that vehicles be recycled and
recycling rates have reached approximately 99%. existing cars contain materials
such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium and other environmentally
harmful substances. By weight, about three quarters of a car is steel and
aluminium, which is recycled. The rest which is mainly plastics, is disposed of by
incineration or in landfills.
 In Zimbabwe, legislation stipulates that import of vehicles is restricted to such
vehicles that are no older than ten years old .This ensures low emissions.
Cont,

 Environmental Impact Assessment.

 These are carried out to determine the extent at which environment is/ will be
affected by allowing certain developments to be carried out. In Zimbabwe, the
Environmental Management Agency is responsible for this task.
 In America, they applied the environmental policy act and is applied to continuous
linear developments( roads and railwaylines) which are characterised by the
potential to divide organism habitats.
 Reducing carbon emissions from transportation requires three basic approaches.
The first being, reducing emissions from vehicles. Followed by the improvement
of infrastructure and construction of a system of transportation system that can
help reduce emissions for society as a whole.
Cont,

 In reducing the carbon emissions of vehicles the US and the EU have both set up
regulations on the amount of carbon dioxide that can be discharged by vehicles.
 systems of transportation that reduce emission for society as a whole can be
sufficiently constructed by lowering transportation fares, increase urban area
parking fees, providing public transportation information via smartphones to
promote usage
 There is the emergence of hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles . An example of
the electric vehicle is the Tesla.
 promoting teleworking( working from home)
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