Sustainable Transport: An Introduction

Everyone participates in transport of one form or another. People's transport choices have powerful implications for personal and community sustainability. The rapid growth of car use has significant sustainability implications. Transport is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emission globally. The impacts do not stop at car emissions. Car use has encouraged sedentary lifestyles, which is a major contributor to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Add to this traffic congestion and petrol price rises and it is clear that we must take an urgent look at our transport choices. This presentation highlights why transport is an important sustainability issue from an environmental, social, economic and health perspective. This talk offers a clearly presented, easy to understand introduction to transport as a sustainability issue. Topics covered include: car use, environmental health and economic impacts of transport, public transport, walking cycling issues, international best practice, tips on reducing unsustainable transport behaviour and political implications. Upon completion of the 30-minute presentation, 20 minutes of audience questions will conclude this short introduction to sustainable transport.