Transportation and Climate Change

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Transportation and Climate Change

• Reducing Greenhouse Gases With Smart Choices

Center for Neighborhood Technology
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Three Questions to Consider

• What is climate change?
• How does transportation impact climate change?
• What are some solutions for reducing the impact
  of transportation on climate change?

There is no ONE WAY to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions caused by our using transportation.
This PowerPoint will introduce you to several
different solutions.
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Global Warming Just the Facts

• The Earth has a natural greenhouse effect.
• Greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as Carbon Dioxide
  (CO2), trap heat in the atmosphere, warming the
  surface of the planet.

http//www.epa.gov/globalwarming/kids/bigdeal.html

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How does it Work?
http//yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/cont
ent/climate.html
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Humans and GHGs

• Since the start of the industrial revolution,
  humans have caused the levels of greenhouse gases
  in the atmosphere to rise through the burning of
  fossil fuels.
• We burn fossil fuels to heat our homes, generate
  electricity, fuel our cars and buses, and
  manufacture materials such as paper and steel.

http//www.epa.gov/globalwarming/kids/bigdeal.html
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Whats the Impact of More CO2?

• Scientists believe that the increased levels of
  carbon dioxide could cause increased
  temperatures, changed weather patterns, and
  rising sea levels.
• Why should we worry?
• These changes could disrupt our way of life.

The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
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Whats Transportation Got to do With It?
Transportation accounts for 33 of greenhouse gas
emissions in the US and 8 of worldwide
greenhouse gas emissions.
Source US Energy Information Administration,
Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United
States 2000, November 2000. http//www.eia.doe.g
ov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/index.html
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Are Things Getting Better?
mpg Miles per Gallon (how much a vehicle can
travel per gallon of fuel)
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What Can We Do to Reduce Transportation Emissions?

• Use Public Transportation
• Promote well-planned growth and development
• Carpool
• Improve Vehicle Efficiency
• Adopt New Technologies
• Educate Ourselves and Others

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Why Use Public Transportation?

• Public transportation releases fewer greenhouse
  gas emissions into the air per person than
  driving does.
• Taking a train or bus is much cheaper than owning
  a car, and you dont have to find a parking space
  once you get to your destination!

http//www.wpipbereanradio.org/images/busload2.jpg
Hey, look! Everyone likes to ride the bus!
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The Power of Transit

• If just 7 of daily car trips in the US were
  replaced by transit trips, carbon emissions would
  be cut by an amount equal to 20 of the
  commercial emissions.
• If you live near transit, its easy to get to
  school, get to work, and run errands.

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Getting around the Old Fashioned Way

• When transit is not available, you can walk or
  bike.
• Walking or bike riding releases no greenhouse
  gasesand its fun!

http//peach.mie.utoronto.ca/people/tsangc/europe-
index.html
This picture, from Denmark, shows bikes outside
of a train station. Bike use is higher in Europe
because of innovative government programs that
encourage their use.
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Your Doctor Says

• For good health, experts recommend exercising
  between 30-60 minutes a day.
• Why not get your exercise by walking, biking, or
  rollerblading to school or work?

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What Can we do to Encourage Public Transit Use?

• Poorly planned neighborhoods discourage transit
  use.
• We need to look at how our neighborhoods are
  designed.
• Do they make it convenient to use public transit?
• The design of neighborhoods also effects how much
  we walk or bike.
• For example, do neighborhoods offer bike trails
  or walking paths?

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Urban sprawl is not smart growth!
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What is Smart Growth?

• Smart Growth describes the efforts of many
  communities across America that try to manage
  growth to reduce the amount of damage on the
  environment while building livable towns and
  cities.
• Transit-Oriented Development A model approach
  providing smart ideas for how communities can
  grow to achieve the goals above.

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What is Transit-oriented Development?

• Planned growth that encourages
• Mixed residential and business neighborhoods
• Transit use, walking, and biking instead of
  driving
• Efficient land use

This picture shows a train stop located near
businesses that are easy to get to by walking!
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Why Transit-Oriented Development?

• By building businesses and homes near transit
  sites, employees are more likely to use transit
  to get to work and run errands.
• More people using transit and walking lower CO2
  emissions!

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Benefits of Increased Transit Use

• Reduced CO2 emissions
• Less congestion
• Better air quality
• Less sprawl

Urban sprawl encourages the use of personal
vehicles. This means more greenhouse gas
emissions.
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Making the Connection Cities and Carbon Dioxide
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More Transit Options Reduced Carbon Dioxide
Emissions
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If You Must Drive, Dont be a Fool Carpool

• On average in the US, there are only 1.6 people
  in a car for any trip taken just 1.1 people for
  the trip to work.
• How can we encourage carpooling?

Carpooling is a good way for you to spend time
with friends during your morning commute.
http//www.tstc.org/bulletin/20011001/mtr33601.htm
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Ways to Improve Fuel Efficiency

• Obey the speed limit
• Avoid rapid acceleration
• Maintain your vehicle
• Keep your tires fully inflated

www.edmunds.com/media/editorial/viewpoints/speed/s
peedlimit.500.jpg
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What Does the Future Hold for Transit Emissions?

• Expect to see
• Fuels that emit fewer greenhouse gases than
  traditional oil based fuels
• New technologies that increase fuel efficiency
• Smarter planning for future land use
• More transportation options

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Even Transit can Get Cleaner A Comparison of
Emissions from Different Bus Fuels
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Petroleum and Beyond.

• Replacement and Alternative Fuels include

• Compressed Natural Gas
• Ethanol
• Hydrogen
• Biodiesel

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Compressed Natural Gas

• Most likely to replace diesel fuel in buses
• Becoming the most popular alternative fuel
• Reduces emissions of some air pollutants
• Has an undetermined impact on GHG emissions

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Ethanol

• Alternative fuel made from corn
• Can reduce CO2 emissions by 17
• Widely used transitional fuel
• Costs more
• Less efficientmeans more fuel is consumed

http//www.hybridfuels.ca/images/pics/ethanol.jpg
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The Fuel of the Future Hydrogen

• Hydrogen can be burned in engines or used in fuel
  cells.
• Hydrogen fuel cells have the potential to emit
  no greenhouse gases.

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Hydrogen and Buses

• Hydrogen-powered buses have been used in Chicago,
  Vancouver, Washington D.C., London, and 9 other
  European cities.
• The buses release no emissions and run quietly.
• Hydrogen is very hard to produce and store.

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Biodiesel

• Biodiesel is fuel made from the oil of vegetables
  or recycled cooking greases.
• 100 biodiesel can reduce GHG emissions by 72.
• School systems, municipal transit agencies, and
  the military have adopted this technology.

In gas stations around the world, biodiesel is
sold next to regular fuel. See if your gas
station sells it next time you go to fill up the
tank.
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Greased Lightning

• This car has been modified to run on FRENCH FRY
  GREASE.
• (100 Biodiesel)

http//www.grassolean.com/postnuke/index.php
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Power it up Electricity as a Fuel

• Electric vehicles consume less energy per mile
  than traditional internal combustion engines.
• There are some electric cars on the market.
• Electric cars are only as clean as their power
  source.

www.ccities.doe.gov/contacts/images/denver_4.jpg
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Electric Transit

• Many cities across the United States are using
  electric buses and trolleys, including New York,
  Chattanooga, Atlanta, and Honolulu.
• These buses and trolleys allow riders to see how
  electric technology works.
• Electric vehicles run off of a rechargeable
  battery.

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Existing Hybrid (Fuel-Cell) Technology

• Combination of electric motor and a traditional
  engine.
• By alternating between the electric motor and the
  internal combustion engine, the car utilizes
  power and fuel more efficiently.
• Several cities are purchasing hybrid buses.

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Can we Afford to Drive?

• Driving imposes an externality.
• An externality exists when individuals do not pay
  the whole cost of an action.
• Society must pay the costs associated with
  driving including global warming and air
  pollution.

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How Much Does it Cost to Operate a Car?

• It costs about 0.611 per mile to drive your car.
  Since most people drive about 11,0002 miles per
  year, it costs about 7,320.00 a year to own and
  drive your car!
• Costs include yearly payments for
• insurance
• finance charge
• license fee
• depreciation
• gas/oil
• maintenance

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Internalizing the Externality

• Some policy makers propose internalizing the
  costs of driving so that individuals pay the
  true cost of driving.
• Heres the idea Taxes on carbon emissions will
  increase the costs of driving and increase the
  desire for fuel-efficient cars.

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How much should Gas Cost?

• The United Kingdom charges around 4 in taxes per
  gallon of gas.
• The US only charges 41 cents per gallon.
• Including all costs, a gallon of gas should cost
  between 5.60 and 15.14. But, as consumers, we
  only pay 1.50-2.00/gallon of gas.

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Putting it all together

• As a transportation consumer, you now know
• - The effects of climate change
• - How transportation contributes to climate
  change
• - Solutions for reducing transportations
  impact on climate change

The Question is What are you going
to do about it ?
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• Check out how your transportation choices affect
  global climate change
• www.travelmatters.org