Minister Villu Reiljan as representative of one of the parties to sustainable transport – the environment – emphasises the need to use environmentally friendly means of transport such as bicycles, electricity-powered public transport and, why not, hybrid cars. Last week the Minister of the Environment tested Toyota Prius, an innovative hybrid car with a combined electric and petrol engine that has a considerably lower impact on the surrounding environment compared to an ordinary car. The Minister admitted that the car was comfortable and really eco-friendly. However, in today’s society a hybrid car can be considered almost as an item of luxury since it can only be afforded by people with a higher than average purchasing power. Therefore, the Minister hopes that namely the part of population with a higher purchasing power will set an example of the use of eco-friendly transport. Today, the share of motor cars in environmental pollution is quite remarkable: within a year motor cars emit more nitric oxides, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide in the air than the energy and industry sectors. Right now, the range of environmentally friendly hybrid cars or eco-cars is relatively small, but in addition to Toyota, hybrid cars are also offered by Ford and Honda. Transport-related air pollution is most obvious to people in cities. In Tallinn, transport accounts for about 95 per cent of all air pollution. Generally, however, the notion of sustainable transport is wider, denoting environmentally friendly regulation of the transport system. People themselves can contribute to cleaner air namely in cities – by trying to use as many eco-clean means of transport as possible besides ordinary vehicles: bicycles, trolleybuses, trams and, if possible, eco-clean cars. This would considerably improve the quality of air mainly in cities. Sustainable transport is less harmful to the environment because it limits the emission of pollutants from exhaust gas to the extent that can be tolerated and recycled by the environment. This enables to minimise the use of non-renewable resources. Further information: |
