Energy Indicators for Sustainable Development: Guidelines and Methodologies International Atomic Energy Agency United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs International Energy Agency Eurostat European Environment Agency

ECO10: Transport energy intensities 
Brief Definition 
Energy use per unit of freight-kilometre (km) 
hauled and per unit of passenger-km travelled by 
mode 
Units 
Freight: tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) per tonne-km 
Travel: toe per passenger-km 
Alternative Definitions 
Overall average fuel consumption for all modes per 
passenger-km or tonne-km 
Agenda 21 
Consumption and production patterns 
POLICY RELEVANCE 
(a) Purpose: Transport is a major user of energy, mostly in the form of oil products, 
which makes transport the most important driver behind growth in global oil demand. 
The transport indicators measure how much energy is used for moving both goods and 
people. 
(b) Relevance to Sustainable Development: Transport serves economic and social 
development through the distribution of goods and services and through personal 
mobility. However, energy use for transport also leads to the depletion of resources 
and to air pollution and climate change. Reducing energy intensity in transport can 

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reduce the environmental impacts of transport while maintaining the economic and 
social benefits. 
(c) International Conventions and Agreements: There are no international 
conventions directly related to energy intensities in the transport sector. International 
conventions on energy emissions, such as the United Nations Framework Convention 
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, are indirectly related to 
transport energy intensities. The European Union voluntary commitments on carbon 
dioxide (CO
2
) emissions by European, Japanese and Korean car manufacturer 
associations require reductions of CO
2
emissions per kilometre for new automobiles.