As human beings, we rely on the nature around us to supply basic necessities such as food and water. Global challenges including urbanisation, climate change and extreme weather conditions make the need for preserving our natural resources increasingly evident. The management of natural resources, for instance, has become a global concern and a priority for future sustainable development.

Transport has significant detrimental effects on the built and natural environment, and hence on individuals’ lives. It also contributes significantly to global warming. On both these counts, transport will be unsustainable in the medium to long term without mitigation measures. The environmental aspects of transport sustainability are concerned with atmospheric and noise pollution, land take, resource use, the effects of waste disposal on the natural environment, and the effects of the above on humans, flora and fauna. These environmental aspects of transport cover the full life-cycle of transport. The largest impacts come from transport use, but the effects from development and construction of infrastructure and vehicles, as well as the waste from their disposal, add to the environmental costs of transport.