Sustainable Transport Perspectives for Estonia

This 2011 policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute evaluates transport and mobility trends in Estonia, concluding that current trends are unsustainable due to rising private car use and road freight. The document analyzes three development scenarios (BASE, TECHNO, and EFFECT) to meet EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emission limits by 2020 and provides recommendations for land use planning, financial measures, and mobility management to transition toward a more sustainable transport system.

• Estonia's transport and mobility trends have moved away from sustainability, characterized by urban sprawl, a decline in walking and public transport, and a rapid increase in road freight and private car use. Consequently, Estonia is among the most transport and energy intensive economies in the EU, using twice as much transport fuel per unit of GDP as the EU average.
• The transport sector accounts for 25% of Estonia's final energy demand, with cars and trucks making up 94% of that share. The country has already exceeded the potential EU 11% GHG emissions growth limit for the non-ETS sector up to 2020, and national and local governments have not yet implemented measures to direct planning or consumer choice toward sustainable modes or fuel-efficient vehicles.
• New cars registered in Estonia are less fuel-efficient than the EU average, consuming approximately 20% more fuel. In 2009, the average CO2 emission for new cars in Estonia was 170 g/km, compared to 155 g/km in Finland. The regions with the least fuel-efficient cars are the largest urban areas, specifically Harju and Tartu counties.
• Transitioning to electric cars would not effectively reduce GHG emissions in Estonia as long as electricity is primarily produced from oil shale. Because producing 1 kWh of electricity in Estonia emits 1.18 kg CO2 (versus the EU average of 0.34 kg), an electric car powered by oil shale would emit 250-300 g CO2/km, which is double the EU 2015 target. Electric vehicles are only justified for climate mitigation if green energy sources are used, though they remain beneficial in cities for reducing noise and air pollution.
• The report analyzed three scenarios for 2020: the BASE scenario (continuing current trends) would see a 36% increase in GHG emissions compared to 2005; the TECHNO scenario focuses on technical efficiency and renewable energy (10% share) to reduce emissions by 18% via vehicle replacement and taxes; and the EFFECT scenario focuses on modal shifts, requiring 2 million vehicle kilometres (20% of forecast mileage) to move to sustainable modes to meet the 11% GHG cap. The report concludes that sustainability can only be achieved if both TECHNO and EFFECT scenarios are implemented together.
• To improve sustainability, the report recommends that new housing and office developments be located near existing public transport and rail networks. It suggests a four-stage evaluation process for transport issues that prioritizes demand management and existing infrastructure over the construction of new infrastructure.
• The report proposes several financial and regulatory measures to reduce car dependency, including CO2-based registration or annual taxes, energy labelling for cars to influence consumers, and the use of congestion charges and differentiated parking fees to limit inefficient vehicles in cities. It also notes that currently, 75% of fuel excise duty revenues are earmarked for state road building, which marginalizes integrated urban mobility solutions.

APA

Jüssi, M., & Sarv, K. (2011). Sustainable Transport Perspectives for Estonia. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4412.pdf

Chicago

Jüssi, Mari, and Kaur Sarv. Sustainable Transport Perspectives for Estonia. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2011. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4412.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jüssi |first1=Mari |last2=Sarv |first2=Kaur |title=Sustainable Transport Perspectives for Estonia |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2011 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4412.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jssi2011sustainable, author = {Jüssi, Mari and Sarv, Kaur}, title = {{Sustainable Transport Perspectives for Estonia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2011}, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/4412.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }