UN Division for Sustainable Development

Case Study Detail Record

Organization type:	Government

Name of Ministry/Agency:

Country:	Finland

Initiative Title:	Environmental guidelines for transport sector till 2010

Internet links:

Scope:

Status:

Timeframe:	Start: End:

Lead Institution:	Ministry of Transport and Communications and its administrative sector

Stakeholders/Partners:

Relevent issues:	- Policies and programmes to address air pollution from other major point sources

Objectives/Challenges:

1) To reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions;
2) To reduce other exhaust emissions and improvement of air quality;
3) To reduce noise emissions and reduce the number of people annoyed by traffic noise;
4) To reduce other environmental and health problems caused by transport (pollution of waters and soil, biodiversity and waste problems);
5) To develop the transport system to become ecologically more sustainable;
6) To participate actively in EU and other international work (within UNECE, ICAO, IMO);
7) To promote setting and adoption of more stringent emission standards, cleaner and more energy-saving vehicles and other measures;
8) To fund national research programmes and studies with the aim to produce data on clean technologies and alternative fuels.
The main emphasis at the moment is given on increasing knowledge on transport-related small and fine particle pollutants and efficient measures for reducing them (especially so-called FINE-particle programme). Another priority in transport research is
1) To increase knowledge on efficient measures for reducing emissions and energy consumption of heavy duty vehciles (so-called HD-Energy-programme);
2) To develop national and local/urban transport system:
3) To promote and develop public transport system, cycling and walking, railway transport and short-sea shipping, Mobility Management, tele-working and other information technologies;
4) To integrate urban planning and transport planning;
5) To improve transport logistics (Finland has chosen “Improvement of Transport Logistics” as a main theme in transport sector for its EU-Presidency in fall 2006),
6) To conduct voluntary energy saving programmes with transport companies and hauliers;
7) To promote of eco-driving;
8) To develop economic measures and guidance; new service concepts, such as car sharing, Mobility Centres, Cycling Service Centres and possibly introduce service cars providing different kind of combined services in scarcely populated areas (shopping, postal, pharmacy, library etc. services),
share responsibilities between transport service providers and other industries (those who buy transport services) in order to improve energy saving and increase environmental performance; and
development of CBA-calculations of transport investments (taking into account health and other social aspects such as comfort, accessibility, attractiveness of living environment and security should promote development of sustainable modes of transport); and
9) To participate in awareness raising and information campaigns, such as so-called Moving Finland –campaign, Mobility Week and Car Free Day.