November
12, 2013
Global
Warming and Public Transportation
Do you hope that the earth will
continue to be a livable planet in the future?
Are you supportive of possible
solutions to reduce human-induced climate change?
Would you be willing to set down
your keys and pick up a bus pass?
Did you hesitate after the previous
question?
Public transportation can
effectively reverse a portion of the unprecedented rate of increase in global
warming in recent years, given that emissions from automobiles are one main
human culprit.
Dr. Rachael Shwom, a specialist in
climate and society at Rutgers University, included transportation in the top
three contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, along with household energy use
and the food system.
She said that scientific consensus
on climate change has been growing, and while there have been some natural
variations in the global temperature across decades, “we certainly know that
the increases in global temperatures are tied to anthropogenic – or human –
sources of greenhouse gas emissions.”
Virginia Miller, the senior manager
of media relations at the American Public Transportation Association, quoted a
report on traffic congestion, which stated that if there hadn’t been public
transportation services in the 498 urban areas they studied in the U.S. in
2011, people would have consumed 450 million more gallons of fuel.
She also cited that “if an
individual has a 20-mile round trip commute and decides to take public transit
instead of driving a car, then his or her carbon emissions will decrease by
4,800 pounds per year.”
“So see? People can make a
difference,” she said. “Individual
decisions are important.”
However, many people do hesitate to
hang their keys on the hook and instead invest in a bus pass or another form of
public transportation.
Shwom said that studies conducted on
the public’s belief about climate change revealed that approximately 10 percent
of people embrace true denial of climate change and claim it is a myth, while a
much broader portion of the United States is simply uncertain or confused about
climate change.
At MSU, the vast majority of
students is aware of and believes the hype surrounding anthropogenic climate
change. Out of a random sample of five
students, all five said they believe in human-caused global warming, and all
five said that they feel public transportation could have a significant impact
in reducing carbon emissions.
However, only two students reported
that they frequently use the public transportation options on campus, while the
remaining three almost immediately said that they would not be willing to give
up their cars to rely solely on public transportation.
“Not in its current state,” said
grad student Emmalilly Hoxsie.
“Definitely if it was more reliable.”
Ryan Kneisel echoed Hoxsie’s
thoughts, saying that “public transportation does not go everywhere and is not
always reliable.”
For MSU student Kelsey Patten,
however, it is more so a question of convenience. “Having a car is just easier; if you have a
certain time to be somewhere you don’t have to wait. You can be on your own time,” she said.
But Miller said that once people simply
start taking public transportation – typically in response to high gas prices
initially – they realize that there are other benefits as well.
“When you’re not driving, you can
sit back and relax – you can listen to your music, you can text your friends,
you can work on your laptop, read a book, or even go to sleep. You can just relax,” she said.
Furthermore, Miller said, “One thing
we say to people is even if you’re not going to take public transit, you should
want your community to invest in it.
It’s going to help congestion, and it’s going to help the growth and
vitality of your community.”
And considering that “tens of
millions” of people currently use public transportation according to Miller,
the industry is having quite a significant impact on lessening the emissions
entering the atmosphere.
“One thing for sure is: public
transportation is leading the way when it comes to having environmentally
friendly vehicles,” said Miller. The
industry is also committed to reducing the nation’s dependence on foreign oils.
She mentioned several of their options, from diesel-electric hybrids to a
completely electric “zero emissions heavy duty bus,” which charges at a docking
station in the middle of its route in less than 10 minutes.
In 2012, there were 10.5 billion
boardings for trips on public transportation, Miller said – the highest number
since 1957. Shwom indicated that the one
real barrier to further increasing this number is that “only so many people
have access to decent, well-run, on-time public transportation.”
Shwom said that it is important to
keep encouraging participation in public transportation before the impacts of
emissions – such as increased storm intensity, changes in precipitation
patterns, droughts, and long-term sea level rise – become much more urgent and
begin to impact people’s quality of life.
“In this century, there’s been kind
of a renaissance of public transportation, and a realization that we need
livable, walkable, sustainable communities,” Miller said. “And a key part of serving a livable
community is having public transportation as a travel option.”
Word Count: 843
Sources
Virginia
Miller
American
Public Transportation Association, Senior Manager – Media Relations.
(202)
496-4816, vmiller@apta.com
Dr.
Rachael Shwom
Rutgers
University, Assistant professor in the Human Ecology department, Specialization
in climate and society.
848-932-9235, shwomrac@rci.rutgers.edu
Kelsey
Patten
MSU
student
pattenke@msu.edu
Emmalilly
Hoxsie
MSU
grad student
hoxsieem@msu.edu
Ashleigh
Lovette
MSU
student
lovette1@msu.edu
Ryan
Kneisel
MSU
student
kneiselr@msu.edu
Andrea
Raby
MSU
student
rabyand1@msu.edu
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