How Improving Our Transportation Can Fight Climate Change (And Save Lives on the Road Too!)

Date Published: January 28, 2020

When I was eight years old, I was extremely convinced that we’d all be getting around via instant teleportation by now. It’s a little surprising to me because -- and hear me out here -- it’d actually be the best way to drastically reduce climate change.

Why? The US could keep nearly 941 million metric tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere if we committed to cutting our yearly emissions from transportation in half. Not only that, but improving our transportation to fight climate change is a huge reason why the UN has made it a priority to reduce carbon emissions from transportation by no less than 50% by 2050.

Achieving this goal and averting climate disaster will require drastic action primarily from lawmakers and businesses, but there’s also a lot that we personally can do when it comes to travel. Read on to learn about how we can fight climate change (and keep even more people safe on the road).

(Travel greener through DoSomething’s Go There Greener campaign, powered by Chevrolet, to keep carbon emissions out of the atmosphere and be entered to win a $1,500 scholarship!)

Driving

According to the EPA, cars and trucks that rely on gas account for half(!) of the carbon emissions from the US transportation sector. Though the federal government has launched a variety of programs since 2007 aimed to reduce emissions, there is still a necessary push for businesses and lawmakers to do more. Here are just a couple of the many changes being called for:

• More aggressive vehicle emission standards. At the time, state legislatures in Virginia and Minnesota are considering laws aimed to reduce vehicle emissions. Meanwhile, activists in the space are calling for President Biden to reinstate the emission standard regulations that were rolled back by the Trump administration.
• Transition to electric vehicles. One easy way to emit less carbon? Electric cars. A recent study found that if we reach a point where every other car on the road is electric, we could reduce CO2 emissions by 1.5 billion tons each year. (Fortunately, President Biden took a first step by announcing plans to replace the government’s fleet with electric vehicles.)

If you (yes, you!) need a car to get around, here are a few ways you can travel more sustainably:

• Carpool. We get it -- you need a car to get around most days. If that’s the case, consider carpooling with a friend or family member to get where you need to go. By leaving your car at home for even one day, you can save our atmosphere from several pounds of carbon emissions. (Plus, fewer cars on the road means fewer accidents!)
• Consider opting for an electric vehicle. Not only will this dramatically reduce your carbon footprint, but by driving an electric car you can actually save thousands of dollars compared to a traditional vehicle.

Public Transportation

As it stands, using public transportation (like buses, trains, and subways) is a relatively easy and effective way to combat climate change. Did you know that swapping out your car for your area’s local public transportation could save an average of 4,627 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and keep you ten times safer than you’d be in a car? If that’s not compelling enough, we should mention it could also save you literally thousands of dollars per year. (Think about how many shares of GameStop stock that could buy you! Kidding.)

While President Biden’s full infrastructure plan has not yet been fully unveiled, his administration is aiming to fund more green jobs and federal aid for the nation’s public transportation systems. In the meantime, here are some actions you can take:

• Find local transportation in your area. Not sure what transportation is available to you? Google Maps makes it extremely easy to not only find which services are open, but will give you transit schedules and the best routes to take.
• Let your representatives know that we need sustainable public transportation. Voices for Public Transit provides you with everything you need to advocate to your local reps.

Cycling

Now that we’ve already covered driving and public transportation, it probably won’t be too surprising to learn that, yes, cycling is an even better way to reduce your carbon footprint. In London, for example, CO2 emissions from road traffic dropped by 20% just five years after launching its bike-share program.

While cycling hasn’t specifically been called out in larger conversations about green transportation, there are those calling for infrastructure that normalizes cycling in cities and local communities. To contribute to this push and join the cycling bandwagon (or whatever the bicycle version of a bandwagon is), here are some actions you can take:

• Tell Congress to invest more funds into cycling programs. The League of American Bicyclists provides you with everything you need to email your reps in just one minute.
• Cycle with friends. Not only will you collectively improve your environmental impact (and your fitness!), but there’s also additional safety in numbers.

Walking

That’s right: walking is climate action. Does that mean simply leaving your home every day makes you a climate activist? Well, I’m not saying it does, but I’m also not saying it doesn’t. Walking is often grouped together with biking when it comes to climate impact because both are as efficient as it gets when it comes to climate impact and you get the bonus effect of improved health. But the thing that makes walking the most tempting, of course, is that it’s totally free to do.

Of course, it’s important to note that walking may or may not be an option at all depending on where you live. Here are some things you can do if you’d like to build walking into your travel routine:

• Plan and research your route. It’s important to always take proper precautions, so aim to find routes that are familiar and have sidewalks and crosswalks, know your surroundings, and pack appropriately.
• Bring a friend along. If the situation calls for it, bring some friends along to get some exercise together! It’ll make the walking go by faster, plus it’ll make it much easier to avoid the potentially dangerous habit of texting while walking.
• Advocate for more safe places to walk. Sign the Rails to Trails petition to call on local officials create more safe places for people to walk by closing select streets.