The transportation industry is the biggest contributor of emissions in the United States, making up 29% of 2019’s greenhouse gas emissions. 90% of all fuel used for transportation uses petroleum, otherwise known as crude oil in its liquid form. Petroleum comes from the remains of ancient marine organisms that were transformed into fuel over millions of years of heat and pressure. This oil gets extracted through drilling and used commonly in transportation, electricity, asphalts, plastics, and all kinds of synthetic materials. And in doing so, it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and further contributes to the issue of global warming.

The main forms of transportation are cars, trucks, trains, ships, and planes. Unfortunately, these are all vehicles that we rely on so much. Many of us use cars every single day. In 2020, there were a total of 286.9 million registered cars in the US alone. And each individual person releases an average of 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year just from driving. Every single gallon of gasoline burned creates about 8,887 grams of CO2. Because of this, cars and trucks are huge contributors to climate change. Ships are also big problems, and they get used all the time to transport goods all across the world. They emit sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and methane. Also, they are one of the primary causes of oil spills, which have a detrimental impact on the ocean and its animals. Additionally, planes are large pollutants. Over 100,000 flights take off every single day around the world, both used for cargo and travel. As this number continues to rise, it is important to consider how we can reduce emissions. The railroad industry, on the other hand, is actually making great strides to lessen its carbon footprint, and now emissions from trains make up only 2% of emissions from all of the transportation sector. This is because engineers have figured out how to make railroads more fuel-efficient.

There are multiple solutions to combat the impact of transportation on the environment. For one, the creation of more walkable cities would reduce the need for cars and buses. Also, electric cars have been gaining popularity as a solution, because they don’t produce exhaust emissions. However, they aren’t completely emission-free, as they still need to generate power in ways that have harmful effects on the planet. This is a step in the right direction, but not necessarily the solution. In terms of ships and planes, the most important way to reduce emissions is to become a less consumer-driven society, thus mitigating our reliance on shipping. However, until that happens, there are some technologies that can help. For example, exhaust emission technology, ship-to-shore data feed technology, and alternative fuels are all methods of making ships more energy-efficient. And there must be regular maintenance performed on ships to bring down the risk of oil spills.

If you want to lessen your carbon impact, limiting your use of transportation is a great way to do this. Obviously no one is going to be able to completely restrict themselves from all transportation methods, but walking and biking when possible is a big help in fighting for this cause. Also, carpooling and taking public transportation is excellent because it brings down the number of cars on the road. You should also try to drive more efficiently by not using the gas and brake pedals as much. If possible, switching to an electric car is a good move, although these are expensive and not feasible for many. And lastly, as stated before, reducing your consumerism helps decrease cargo from overseas that needs to be transported on ships and planes.

Emissions from transportation is a large problem, but a solvable one if we all work together to fix it.

Sources: National Geographic, Center for Biological Diversity, Yale Climate Connections, BBC, IISD, EDF