ABSTRACT
Transportation systems are linked with a wide range of environmental considerations at all geographical scales, from the global to the local. The nature of these environmental impacts is related to the transport modes themselves, their energy supply systems, their emissions and the infrastructures over which they operate. While consuming large quantities of energy, especially oil, vehicles also emit numerous pollutants such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide as well as noise, and transport infrastructures have damaged many ecological systems. Several of the environmental impacts of transport systems have been externalized, implying that the bene¿ ts of mobility are realized by a few while the costs are assumed by the whole society. The spatial structure of economic activities, notably their land use, is also increasingly linked with environmental impacts. The sustainability of transport systems has become one core issue in the provision of mobility.
