Civil Structural & Environmental Engineering

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Transport Impacts

Transport Impacts on the Environment

The study entitled Scope of Transport Impacts on the Environment was commissioned by the EPA as part of the Environmental RTDI Programme 2000-2006. The aims of the project included a review of the recent international literature on the environmental impacts of the transport sector and on the integration of environmental considerations into transport planning and operations. Ten topic areas were identified from the project brief and in consultation with the EPA, and these ten sections form the basis for the structure of the report. The topic areas are air pollution, waste from the transport sector, eco-audits and strategic environmental assessment, economic instruments, land use, public awareness, noise, natural heritage, public transport and information technology. 

Relevant published reports were reviewed to determine the environmental significance of the transport sector in Ireland. Organizations were consulted so that an inventory of ongoing research could be compiled. Finally, recommendations are made on the essential research necessary to integrate environmental considerations into the transport sector. In the executive summary, each topic area is mentioned briefly, highlighting the important concerns in each and identifying the priorities for further research in the area.

The final report is available from the Environmental Protection Agency: Scope of Transport Impacts on the Environment (2000-DS-4-M2).

Project coordinators: Prof. Margaret O'Mahony, Prof. Laurence Gill, Prof. Brian Broderick

Aoife Ahern & Lisa English

Modelling Carbon Tax Policy

Transport in Ireland in 2004 accounts for approximately 40% of the total final consumption of energy across all sectors and 33% of the total primary energy requirement. Electricity generation and transport are forecast to be the key sectors influencing energy demand in Ireland DCMNR (2006). Reducing energy in transport is a key goal which will need to be achieved to meet Ireland’s Kyoto and prospective post Kyoto commitments to reduce C02. It also is very important to allow Ireland to remain competitive in a future peak oil environment. The overall objective of this research is to establish what carbon related tax policies could be effective in Ireland to deliver an outcome that energy used for car transport could be reduced by 30% by 2020.

  • To research carbon related tax policies in use or that have been modelled internationally that could be used in Ireland in the transport sector.
  • To rate these policies in terms of their effectiveness.
  • To model the impact of the most effective policies identified.
  • To analyse the modelled policies against the overall objective.

Project coordinators: Prof. Margaret O'Mahony, Prof. Laurence Gill & Associate Prof. Aonghus McNabola