Environment protection –a major problem for the Europe of tomorrow

    In the past decades of our century, on a European level, some measures for stopping the waste of natural and financial resources were taken in order to limit the negative effects over the environment and man’s existence in general; this was the result of an uncontrolled transport activity: waste of human lives in accidents, great urban agglomerations, environment pollution, the health degradation of our planet’s inhabitants, etc…
    Some international studies permitted the evaluation of effects that some transportation means have over the environment, quantifying this impact in social-economical terms under the name “external costs.” These studies proved to be of a real use for European institutions (European Union, the European Conference of Transport Ministers) and for governments in order to define what are the principal lines the transportation industry has to follow to reduce negative impact over the environment. It is imperiously necessary to search deeper these phenomena and their effects on an economic level to be able to realize and solve all problems related to environment protection.
    Transportation policy if one of these problems and it requires monitoring the negative effects of the activity of this branch over the environment. Thus the adopted solution for the modernization of transport systems of financing European transport networks must influence over future decades the clients’ options – in favor of one or another transportation ways. It is very important that all decisions be made under a deeper acknowledgement of the impact the transportation industry has over the environment both nowadays and in the future. The realization of a European union that reunites countries in the West – Europe area and those in Central and Eastern Europe is another challenge for the activity of this industry. West European countries have a big say in this matter, in order to avoid now, at the beginning of the 21st century the mistakes that happened in the process of development and which should never be repeated by Eastern and Central European countries.


What exactly “External costs” means?

    The moment as consumer decides to acquire a certain asset or to set on a journey, he takes into account the price that he appreciates as just or not, depending on the benefit he will derive from the acquisition. Thus, if he wishes to travel, he will consider, before choosing a certain kind of transportation (either public transportation or his own vehicle) both the price and the quality of the said service.
    The beneficiaries of transportation services feel that several parameters are included in the price: speed, frequency, quality, flexibility, etc… Still, the consumer or the beneficiary does not pay the toll his decision will take on the environment. These are called external costs because they are not included in the payable price by the commissioner, as they are outside the market. When it comes to transportation, the resulted external costs are mainly the accidents, traffic jams, pollution, noise, climatic changes… The commissioner of transportation is not generally aware of these costs and it is possible that some of them might never be identified. Yet they are real and even if they are not taken into consideration, they are supported by the entire collective.

Principal external costs in transportation

    Accidents: using the transportation systems often leads to accidents that in turn generate a series of costs generally calculated by the insurance systems in case of risk – human loss, medical care, handicaps, production loss, etc.
    Pollution: particle emission – carbon (CO), lead, volatile organic composites (COV), nitrogen oxide (NO) and sulfone (SO2) – that affect our health, the environment and the buildings.
    The effects over the climate: gas emissions that aggravate the greenhouse effect (CO2) with a long term effete over the climate leading also to the extension of the deserts, an increase of the ocean level, damage in agriculture and other negative effects over the environment and health.
    Noise: the transportation activity is a source of noise that brings prejudice to humans: psychical and psychic discomfort, stresses, and grave effects on the health in general.
    Traffic jams: the increased number of vehicles often leads to traffic jams and to considerable loss for all consumers. In this case, the entire assembly of this system becomes ineffective.

Why is it necessary to monitor the external costs?

    Making the commissioners aware of the costs they induce to the entire community just by choosing a certain vehicle – car, train, airplane – constitutes a premiere achievement in reducing external costs. Generally, knowing the costs for each kind of transportation both in aggregate costs and medium costs, is a sine qua non principle that allows the authorities to be responsible to issue market signals to lead consumers towards to such transportation means that best respect the environment, promoting a transport policy that will be oriented towards the environment. The first evaluations of the external costs in transportation constituted a benefic contribution in drafting by the European Commission of the Green Card for Equitable and Ethical Pricing in Transportation (December 1995) and the White Card Ethical Norms for Using the Infrastructure (July 1998) and in the activity of OCDE and CEMT that started a new environment-oriented transportation policy.

External Costs of the Central European Transportation

    Studies of INFRANS (Zurich) and IWW (Karlsruhe)-independent advisory firms-are a real progress in the evaluation of the impact the transportation has over the environment and of their effects over the economy. Having as title External Costs in Transportation – accidents, traffic jams, environment within Westward Europe, this study represents an actualization and extension of a previous study realized by the same advisory firms in 1995 based on data gathered in 1991. The European Environment Agency considers this study, to be the most precious one in this field.
    The present study represents an instrument necessary in the activity of all estate institutions – governments, European and international organizations, etc –responsible with the applicability of this environment –oriented transportation policy.
    The new study of INFRAS/IWW takes into consideration the external costs provoked by:

    Referential data are those from 1995 and the study is a first evaluation of what these costs may become in 2010 should the present policy in transportation not be changed.
    The study makes a prognosis in 17 countries: 15 of them within the European Union, plus Switzerland and Norway.
    All kinds of transportation are studied: auto-transportation (cars, motors, buses, etc), railway transportation (for public and freight), air transportation (for public and freight) and naval transportation (for freight). The differences consisted mainly by taking into account some geographic and functional criteria as i.e. urban and inter-urban public transportation, short/long distance freight transportation, etc.


Reporting Silvia Mitulescu
Based on the UIC (International Railway Union) study and on the CCFE study (European Railway Community)

To be continued…

 

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