SÄÄSTVA TRANSPORDI RAPORT

The report finds that Estonia's transport system is not developing sustainably, with car use and road freight growing in tandem with the economy, leading to high energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions. While traffic fatalities have decreased significantly, urban air quality has suffered due to increased particulate matter from cars. The report compares Estonia's performance with EU averages and neighbors (Finland and Latvia), noting that Estonia has some of the least fuel-efficient new cars in Europe. Three scenarios for 2020 are analyzed: a 'BAAS' (baseline) scenario where trends continue, a 'TEHNO' scenario focusing on rapid vehicle efficiency gains, and an 'EFEKT' scenario focusing on mobility management and sustainable transport modes. The authors recommend a combination of both TEHNO and EFEKT measures, including CO2-based vehicle taxation, improved public transport and active mobility infrastructure, and integrated urban planning to decouple economic growth from transport demand.

• Estonia's transport and mobility trends are not sustainable, as car use and road freight have grown at a pace equal to or faster than the GDP, leading to a decline in the share of sustainable transport modes.
• Estonia's economy is one of the most transport- and energy-intensive in Europe; for example, Estonia uses twice as much transport fuel per unit of GDP as the EU average.
• New cars registered in Estonia are significantly less fuel-efficient than the EU average, with 51% falling into energy classes E–G, and an average CO2 emission of 170 g/km in 2009 compared to the EU-27 average of 146 g/km.
• Road transport accounts for approximately 94% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Estonian transport sector, with passenger cars contributing 67% and trucks 21%.
• The external costs of Estonian land transport were estimated at 6.917 billion kroons in 2007, with traffic accidents (1.782 billion), air pollution (1.663 billion), and noise (1.253 billion) being the largest contributors.
• Traffic safety has improved significantly, with fatalities dropping from 196 in 2007 to 100 in 2009, moving Estonia from the bottom three EU countries to the EU average.
• Urban air quality in cities like Tallinn has deteriorated due to increased particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) from rising car use, contrasting with a general decreasing trend in the EU.
• The 'BAAS' (baseline) scenario predicts that if current trends continue, transport energy demand and GHG emissions will increase by approximately one-third by 2020, exceeding the EU-mandated 11% growth limit for Estonia.
• The 'TEHNO' scenario suggests that achieving the 11% GHG limit requires reducing the average CO2 emissions of the car fleet to 143 g/km by 2020, which is three times faster than the current trend.
• The 'EFEKT' scenario estimates that avoiding approximately 2 billion vehicle-kilometers (about 20% of total travel) through sustainable transport modes would reduce GHG emissions by 18% compared to the baseline.
• Electric vehicles would only reduce GHG emissions in Estonia if powered by renewable energy; using oil shale electricity would produce significantly more GHGs than most current internal combustion engine models.

APA

M., J., H., P., K., S., & H., O. (2010). SÄÄSTVA TRANSPORDI RAPORT. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4411.pdf

Chicago

M., Jüssi,, Poltimäe, H., Sarv, K., and Orru, H. SÄÄSTVA TRANSPORDI RAPORT. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2010. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4411.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=M. |first1=Jüssi, |last2=H. |first2=Poltimäe, |last3=K. |first3=Sarv, |last4=H. |first4=Orru, |title=SÄÄSTVA TRANSPORDI RAPORT |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2010 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4411.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{m2010sstva, author = {M., Jüssi, and H., Poltimäe, and K., Sarv, and H., Orru,}, title = {{SÄÄSTVA TRANSPORDI RAPORT}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4411.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }