National Geographic Society. (2021, August 11). Transportation and Climate Change. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/transportation-and-climate-change/

 

In many ways, climate change and modern transportation go hand in hand. This article articulates transportation’s impact on climate change in the United States and explores factors that individuals and corporations can alter behaviors to diminish their transportation footprint. The report asserts that “in 2017, the U.S. transportation sector generated the largest percentage of greenhouse gasses emitted at 29 percent.” Motor vehicles are the leading cause of air pollution in the United States, though other modes of travel, such as planes and cruise ships, create more significant emissions per voyage per person. Some solutions the article proffers include the switch to electric vehicles and increased R&D in alternative fuels like hydrogen fuel cells. For individuals, the article mentions researching the travel options available and investigating one’s relative carbon footprint as primary methods to ensure everyone is doing their part. Public transportation like buses, subways, and trolleys are generally more environmentally friendly than driving a car because the more people traveling in a vehicle, the smaller each person’s carbon footprint. 

 

The article is linked to environmental science because it describes the relationship between transportation and climate change, highlighting the greenhouse effect and potential solutions. The direct analysis of transportation’s impact and the speculation of mitigation efforts are critical components of environmental science. The article is an excellent introductory source to a complex subject, and it generalizes the main issues with transportation offering scientific reasoning to substantiate their claims. I also enjoyed how the article included precedent of some solutions succeeding from other countries. I believe the United States can use the framework provided by other nations and continue our climate mitigation efforts. It was also nice to see how the individual solutions were fairly easy to execute and could make a legitimate difference if performed by large numbers of people.