People move around more than they ever have. Once, people mainly got around on foot, by bike, or on horse. Nowadays, people mainly use cars, planes, boats, trains, trucks, etc. to get around. We primarily use transportation to transport ourselves or the goods we buy. Transportation is a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions. For example, in the United States, transportation is the biggest single-source greenhouse gas emitter. Using petroleum-based fuel in engines emits a large amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Cars that we use on a daily basis for ourselves emit almost 41% of all transportation emissions. A typical car emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Most of the goods are moved by trucks. Trucks account for only 4% of all U.S. vehicles. But they emit 23% of all greenhouse gases. Transportation is responsible for almost 25% of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, and it is also the main cause of air pollution in cities.

The transportation sector is still the one sector where the emissions are still higher than they used to be at 1990 levels. In this sector, road transportation is the biggest emitter. In 2019, transportation in Europe accounted for more than 70% of greenhouse gases.

The biggest emitters are passenger vehicles, like cars and buses. They contribute 45% of all greenhouse gases. The next big emitters are trucks. They are responsible for 29% of emissions. People usually think that the biggest emitter in transportation is aviation, but it actually accounts for only 11% of transport emissions. Rail travel and freight emit only 1% of all emissions from transport. Other transportation that includes movements of materials, for example, water, oil, and gas via pipelines, is responsible for 2% of emissions.

Since private vehicles are the biggest emitters, people should choose the most fuel-efficient models available. A smaller and lighter car emits a lot less greenhouse gases than a bigger car. But instead of picking a smaller car, people are picking bigger cars like SUVs. Ten years ago, SUVs made up 17% of the world’s yearly car sales. Now the number is 39%. A larger car emits, on average, 85% more greenhouse gases than a smaller car.

Air pollution from traffic contributes to smog and poor air quality, which has a detrimental effect on the health and well-being of our citizens. The pollutants that are emitted from transportation are nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and other particulate matter. The transport sector also generates emissions of air toxics, which are compounds that are thought to cause cancer or other serious health and environmental effects. Examples of mobile air toxics include benzene, formaldehyde, and diesel particulate matter. According to the WHO, air pollution is responsible for more than seven million premature deaths every year. On roadways, there are 1.35 million people killed every year.

Transportation doesn’t only increase global warming. It also affects the transportation itself. Future airline flights may become bumpier than they used to be. It is happening because the atmosphere is changing. Vertical winds cause irregular air movements called turbulence, which is a serious and costly problem for airlines, resulting in injuries, damaged aircraft, flight delays, and inspections and investigations. Turbulence can also happen in clear air. It is believed that by 2050, the turbulence might double and the strength of the turbulence may increase from 10% to 40%. Since global temperatures are rising, it will also be harder for aircraft in the future to take off.

In conclusion, it is possible to get the emissions from transportation down, but it needs large-scale investments to get more zero-emission vehicles on the road. Also, public transport can help to reduce emissions, but for that, it needs to be reliable. Some countries are also trying to reduce the greenhouse gases emitted from transportation by setting greenhouse gas emission standards for cars and trucks. Still 95% of the vehicles use fossil fuels for energy. You might think that the use of electric vehicles will solve this problem. This will only happen if we produce electricity in a more sustainable way.

Sources:
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/what-are-causes-climate-change#transportation
https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/carbon-pollution-transportation
https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/transport_en
https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/transport/overview_en
https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-transport
https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/smog-soot-and-other-air-pollution-transportation
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3258/planes-shipping-lanes-and-automobiles/
https://www.activesustainability.com/sustainable-life/impact-transport-climate-change/?_adin=02021864894
https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/global-road-safety/index.html
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200317-climate-change-cut-carbon-emissions-from-your-commute
https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/media_gstc/FACT_SHEET_Climate_Change.pdf