ABSTRACT
The ecological footprint (EF) related to the provision of infrastructure will account for a share of the total EF of transport activities, but what is the size of this share? As shown in Figure 1.5 in Chapter 1, the share is small for roads, but is it the same for other modes of transport? The EF of transport infrastructure has three parts: the energy EF for constructing the infrastructure, the energy EF for operating the infrastructure, and the built EF of the physical land area occupied by the infrastructure. The calculations cannot be made in the abstract, so this chapter will estimate the EF of transport infrastructure using Auckland, New Zealand as the basis for data collection and analysis. The infrastructure investigated here focuses on roads, railway tracks, airports, related official buildings and other facilities. The calculations are explained in some detail to give an idea of the complexity of the process.
