Indicators of environmental sustainability in transport: An interdisciplinary approach to methods

How can environmental impacts of transport be measured? How can measurements be transformed into operational indicators? How can several indicators be jointly considered? And how can indicators be used in planning and decision making? This book contains the results of an interdisciplinary group of about thirty researchers meeting regularly to discuss these questions along the period 2005-2010. The researchers were from natural as well as social sciences, and all engaged in the field of transport and environment. The report provides analysis of the functions, strengths and weaknesses of indicators, the dimensions and context of decision making, and introduces the concept of “chain of causality” between a source and a final target. It then proceeds to derive criteria and methods for the assessment and selection of indicators, exemplified for seven chains of causality, including climate change, noise or loss of cultural heritage. Finally it includes an extensive analysis and evaluation of methods to build composite indicators as well as multi-criteria methods for assessment. The authors give a state-of-the-art overview for those interested in methods to evaluate simply, accurately and efficiently the impact of transport on the environment. They conclude with a series of recommendations and research needs.