ABSTRACT
Various research institutes mandated by the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape prepared all data on air pollutant emissions. This chapter examines the evolution of emissions for those air pollutants to which transport significantly contributes. The data for emissions from road transport is detailed enough to enable us to distinguish between freight and passenger transport. Transport bears a large part of the responsibility for the strong increase in many emissions that started in the 1950s. The 1950s is the period in which road transport became a major contributor for many pollutants. The share of transport in total emissions peaked at 46 per cent in 1975 but transport emissions continued to grow until 1980. NOx emissions from road transport decreased after 1985. Road transport obviously contributes much more to air pollution, energy consumption, land use and landscape depletion, noise, danger and waste than rail transport.
