Additional external costs of transport (climate costs, soil & water damage, crop losses, etc.)
Overview
Background & policy context:
For Switzerland the external costs of transport have been calculated for the following categories:
- Accident costs
- Air Pollution costs (Health costs and building damages)
- Noise costs
- Nature and landscape costs.
In this study, the remaining categories of external costs of road and rail transport in Switzerland (year 2000) were examined.
Objectives:
This study aimed to give an estimated quantification of additional external costs of road and rail transport in Switzerland for the year 2000. The subjects of this study are climate change costs, additional external environmental costs (harvest losses, forest damage, damage to water structures, damage of the soil quality, vibrations and additional environmental costs in sensitive areas), additional costs in urban areas and additional external costs of up- and downstream processes.
Methodology:
For each cost category different estimation methods were applied:
- Climate costs: avoiding costs/shadow prices in order to achieve a stabilisation of the greenhouse gas concentration, plus the costs for the remaining damages.
- Crop losses due to air pollution (above all due to ozone): damage cost approach.
- Forest damages due to air pollution: damage cost.
- Soil pollution costs: repair costs.
- Vibrations: repair costs; and alternatively damage costs.
- Additional environmental costs in sensitive areas (Alps): willingness-to-pay approach for unspoilt landscape.
- Additional costs in urban areas: time costs for pedestrian and infrastructure costs for separating motorised transport from human powered mobility.
- Cost of up- and downstream processes (for instance energy production, vehicle and infrastructure production): shadow prices and damage costs.
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