Re-Assessing Transportation
For far too long, transportation has been considered a major culprit in climate change. The burning of carbon-based fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and oil, has been a consistent source of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to the destruction of Earth’s atmosphere. Worldwide, transportation accounts for about 25 percent of all total greenhouse gas emissions.
But, with the recognition of the need to curb these emissions and to mitigate the damaging effects of climate change, there is a need for a major re-assessment of the world’s transportation systems.
Shift to Cleaner Energy Sources
Currently, most transportation services use fossil fuels as their main energy source. Fossil fuels are non-renewable and are the main contributors to climate change. To reduce the emissions from transportation, many countries around the world have implemented or announced plans to switch over to renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, water and vegetable oil-powered engines.
Using renewable energy sources has several benefits: they are cleaner than fossil fuels and do not release as much carbon dioxide and other pollutant gases. They are also renewable, meaning they can be replenished over time. And, with the cost of solar and wind energy dropping significantly in recent years, these renewable sources are more plausible options for powering transportation.
Infrastructure Improvements
Transportation infrastructure is another area that needs to be addressed in order to ensure that it can accommodate the switch to cleaner energy sources. In many countries, the roads and railways are in poor condition and do not offer sufficient capacity or flexibility to support the use of cleaner technologies.
To this end, governments around the world should invest in updating their transportation networks. This could involve constructing new high-speed railways, widening roads, creating special lanes for electric vehicles, and installing charging stations for electric vehicles. Such improvements would create jobs, reduce traffic congestion and make the switch to cleaner technologies much more feasible.
Incentivizing Clean Transportation
In order to ensure that the transport industry is receptive to the shift from fossil fuels to cleaner alternatives, governments should also look at providing incentives for the transport sector. This could involve tax breaks for businesses involved in the transportation of goods, subsidies for individuals and companies who buy electric vehicles, and the relaxing of regulations that make it more difficult for companies to switch to cleaner technologies.
These incentives would help to make the cost of switching over to cleaner forms of transportation much more affordable and would also help to encourage businesses and individuals to make the switch.
Improving Public Transportation
In addition to incentivizing the adoption of cleaner transportation technologies, governments should also strive to improve public transportation services. As public transportation contributes to improved energy efficiency, increased road safety, reduced traffic congestion and lower emissions, governments should prioritize investment in public transportation services.
This could involve building more public transportation infrastructure and creating services that offer improved accessibility and reliability. In addition, public transportation services should be made more affordable, so that more people will be encouraged to use them.
Carpooling
Finally, governments and businesses should promote carpooling as an alternative form of transportation for individual commuters. Carpooling can help to reduce traffic congestion and emissions as fewer cars are on the road.
Technology companies have already started to provide platforms that enable people to more easily coordinate carpools. The government could further incentivize carpooling through measures such as subsidized parking, tax credits, and carpool lane access.
The need to reduce emissions from the transportation sector is becoming increasingly clear, as climate change worsens. To achieve this, governments, businesses and individuals need to work together to implement measures that will help to shift the transport sector away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner alternatives. This could involve the use of renewable energy sources, improvements to transportation infrastructure, incentivizing cleaner technologies, and the promotion of public transportation and carpooling. This is the only way to ensure that the transportation sector has the capability to reduce emissions and meet the global goals of mitigating climate change.
