It is widely acknowledged that the present era is challenged with climate change as the most significant environmental issue. The heat-trapping carbon dioxide has clogged the Earth’s atmosphere ultimately becoming a menace for the human populations around the world. Along with several natural causes, there is no doubt that numerous human activities have escalated the climate change issues. One of such activities is transportation whereby several greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, CO2, and fossil fuels (rich in carbon) are primarily used thus contributing to climate change and related pollution problems (Rubin & Noland, 2010). Transportation, like other human activities, has no exemption in affecting the world’s environment and is undoubtedly a major source of GHG emissions (“About Transportation & Climate Change: Transportation’s Role in Climate Change”).
On a global level, approximately twenty-three percent GHG emissions related to energy are generated by the transportation sector. On the other hand, the transportation sector in the United States of America “produces 34 percent, reflecting the higher per capita consumption of carbon-based fuels compared with the rest of the world” (Rubin & Noland, 2010). According to 2006 GHG emissions produced by transportation sector in United States, light duty trucks and passenger cars were the biggest producers of GHG emissions. Commercial aircraft and freight trucks as well as other sources that do not run on roads accounted to be the second largest GHG emission sources (“About Transportation & Climate Change: Transportation’s Role in Climate Change”). Climate change is also indirectly affected by transportation with agricultural changes, demographic changes, patterns of urban and rural settlements, business locations, and accommodation (Rubin & Noland, 2010).
This needs to be mentioned that cars and motorbikes are not the sole sources of increasing environmental pollution. In fact, marine vessels and aero planes are also major contributors as they produce enormous quantities of GHGs. In fact, these contributions are expected to increase with the passage of time. Nitrogen oxides and nitrous oxide are also produced along with CO2 thus making aircrafts a great source of climate change. Furthermore, the production of black carbon and nitrous oxide make ships another major source of escalating climate change (“Transportation and Global Warming”).
The above discussion crystal clearly shows that it is extremely important to reduce transportation emissions if the human beings desire to combat global warming. Countries that truly want to get less affected by the climate change must “shift away from fossil fuel-powered vehicle dependence and the suburban sprawl that accompanies it — and toward alternative fuels, alternative and public transportation, and better land-use patterns” (“Transportation and Global Warming”). It is the high time to realize and understand that transportation sector must be targeted for controlling emissions as this sector is principally responsible for the production of loads of ozone-producing gases, black carbon and CO2. Controlling climate change by restricting transportation use is also beneficial for human health as the poor quality of air is responsible for grave illnesses and conditions including asthma, cancer, and other respiratory diseases (“Vehicles, Air Pollution, and Human Health”).
References
About Transportation & Climate Change: Transportation’s Role in Climate Change: Overview - DOT Transportation and Climate Change Clearinghouse. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2016, from http://climate.dot.gov/about/transportations-role/overview.html
Rubin, J. D., & Noland, R. B. (2010, May/June). Transportation and Climate Change Developing Technologies, Policies, and Strategies. Retrieved February 16, 2016, from http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/trnews/trnews268RubinNoland.pdf
Transportation and Global Warming. Biologicaldiversity.org. Center for Biological Diversity. Web. Retrieved February 10, 2016, from http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/climate_law_institute/transportation_and_global_warming/
Unger, N. (2009, June). National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved February 16, 2016, from http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/briefs/unger_02/
Vehicles, Air Pollution, and Human Health. (n.d.). UCSUSA.org. Retrieved February 16, 2016, from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean-vehicles/vehicles-air-pollution-and-human-health#.VsMQ_fl97IU
