A central challenge is the integration of climate policy objectives into other sectoral policy areas such as transport, energy and agriculture. By helping OECD countries assess domestic and international policies to limit reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, this work contributes to the effective implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. The OECD's long-standing work in this area is a central part of the Organisation's horizontal programme on sustainable development. The OECD has been studying the relationship between transport and the environment since the earliest days of its environmental work, initially with a focus on air pollution, noise and fuel use from motor vehicles.
Transport is a major contributor to environmental problems at the local, regional and global levels.
Efficient transport systems are clearly vital for economic growth. The OECD's project 'Environmentally Sustainable Transport' is examining what kind of policy framework will be necessary to ensure that transport systems are environmentally sustainable in the year 2030 and beyond. By developing a set of essential criteria to be met, and then by using alternative projections to explore different paths forward, this work is helping to show the policies that will be required in the years to come. This approach is both long-sighted and comprehensive, taking local, regional and global effects into account.