This work deals with comparative analysis of the transport chains from the aspect of environmental impact. Transport as the base od every economy is one of elementary factors of development. However, the development of classic branches of transport has significantly disrupted the natural balance of ecosystems, making ecology a major theme in the last decades of the 20th century. The first part explains the concept of the transport chain, the development and division of transport and transport functions into road, rail, river, maritime and air transport. The second part of the paper deals with the analysis of transport in the world. Through the interrelation of transport and environmental impacts in the economic system, the potential for pollution caused by urbanization, the global economy and technological innovation in the transport sector is analyzed. Case studies of five countries and their detailed analysis are presented. The analysis discusses major factors - political, economic, socio-cultural and technological and their impact on transportation. Third part will analyze the impact of transport chains on the environment. It describes the impact of transport on the environment with regard to climate, health, noise, pollution, land use and ozone depletion. The last part of the paper presents an analysis of the impact of transport chains on external costs. The analysis presents the basic results of a study of external costs in transport for 17 European countries, with proposed measures for their internalization. Examples of freight transport with the current situation and proposed solutions are given, as well as guidelines for reducing the environmental impact of transport chains. The working analysis closes with the conclusion drawn and the list of literature used during the research.