Public transportation is environmentally-sustainable, which we desperately need to ensure our planet’s future
High usage of personal vehicles is causing increased air pollution. (Source: The Conversation)
Green buildings and green architecture are growing in popularity in America. (Source: Scranton Products)
This line of thinking might encourage the average American to invest in a personal electric vehicle (EV) to replace their own gas-powered car. However, due to a lack in the necessary technology, EVs are not as environmentally-sustainable in the long term as public transportation development could be. Electric cars help shift the energy source away from gas entering the car and towards energy from the local electricity grid. However, EVs are “only as ‘clean’ as America’s power sources” (Politico). If coal and gas still power one’s local area, then all an EV will do is shift the air pollution from a non-point source of car exhaust pipes to a point source electricity plant. While renewable energy sources continue to increase all around the country, considering the continuously evolving political and technological sphere of the United States, there is no guarantee that our power grids will be predominantly renewable-sourced in time to make EVs environmentally-viable in the long term. Further, EVs don’t address the need for heavy fuel consumption, and encourage the repurposing, not eradication, of unnecessary and environmentally-costly fuel-based endeavors. Through investment in public transportation, citizens not only severely decrease their carbon footprint due to shared emissions, but also lose the ability to use as much of any resource at a given time, effectively driving down heavy resource consumption.
Another reason why personal EVs are not the best option for the most sustainable future is due to our need to reduce impervious surfaces in our cities. With a reduced need for all vehicles, parking lots and roads will see decreased use, which could free up prime real estate in our urban areas. Should cities decide not to add more buildings in these newly freed zones, they could build parks and recreational areas. Not only does increased green space improve mental health for urban dwellers, but it will benefit the local marine environment, too. When it rains, rainwater moves quickly along impervious surfaces like roads and parking lots as it makes its way to storm drains, picking up trash, toxins, and contaminants along the way. Then, these harmful chemicals find their way into marine ecosystems, creating chemical imbalances and “dead zones”, thus killing entire ecosystems. By creating a more inclusive and reliable public transportation network, roads and parking lots will be able to be demolished, which will hopefully eradicate this harmful process. It is evident that while public transportation development has merit in the economic and technological sectors, it has a strong benefit in the environmental sector as well. When examining history, our existence would be impossible had previous generations not adapted their lifestyles to become more sustainable. With this logic, especially considering the planet’s exponential population growth, we have a duty to future generations to adapt more sustainable practices. Therefore, in the interest of the environment, the American people should support public transportation initiatives, and work to reduce their carbon footprints. Right: Activists gather outside of the US Capital Building in Washington DC as a part of the 2019 Global Climate Strike (Source: wtop.com)
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It is no secret that personal vehicles account for 29% of air pollution in the USA, and because of this, 150 million Americans live in areas that don’t meet federal air quality standards. While the health of our own people should not be overlooked, we often forget the health of our ecosystem, and the implications that the issue of transportation has on the Earth as a whole. When debating the future of transportation, for the sake of the environment, the United States should fund public transportation initiatives so vehicle emissions are decreased, and impervious surfaces are reduced.
To begin, reducing the number of cars on the road will certainly reduce air pollution. This will help bring air pollution levels back down to acceptable rates, which American flora and fauna desperately need. The FTA explains that heavy rail transit reduces emissions by 76%, light rail transit by 62%, and bus transit by 33%. Further, this opens the door for future development of transportation, so coupled with the growth of sustainably-powered electric vehicles worldwide, particularly in the transportation sector, a positive feedback loop can be created to ensure the longevity of our air and ecosystem. Given the growing environmental activism both in the United States and abroad, support for environmentalism and other related movements and industries is likely to be sustained. It is evident that the American people are opening their eyes to environmental concerns, and supporting public transportation initiatives will not only merely equate the US to the rest of the world in terms of transportation, but also ensure a livable world for all future Americans. Two electric vehicles seen charging in Amsterdam. Electric cars are a easy solution to a much larger program. (Source: Are Technica)
Polluted runoff entering the Mississippi River (Source: Mississippi Watershed Management Organization)
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