How does the way you travel around your city affect the planet?
Mobility boosts the economy, but doing so comes at a high cost in a world that is powered by carbon. Transport shapes our towns, it shapes our cities... it is not just what we use to get around but have you ever thought about how negatively your everyday travel can impact the environment? It makes sense that the convenience of your car would tempt you to drive everywhere. After all, why not? We can't continue to do this; if it's close enough to stroll, if it's walking distance then we should consider arriving to our destination on foot. I'm sure we're all guilty of driving to our local corner shop that's only a 5 minute walk away, because when the car's right there we may as well stick the key in the ignition and hit the gas but this same gas is what is destroying our planet; it's responsible for the planet's destruction. Transport is responsible for 24% of direct carbon dioxide emissions due to the burning of fossil fuels but if we all started walking or taking advantage of public transport, we could cut that percentage right down, that number would reduce drastically. If we stop gratifying ourselves for the short term, we would do more for the environment and further benefit our planet in the long term.
Investing in public transport
Fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs, cleaning, parking fees, the actual cost of the vehicle: all expenses that are incurred when owning a car, however this can be avoided when you invest in public transport. Oh boy, the day you get your driver's license is when all the drawbacks of owning a car slip out of your mind and start to fade from your memory. The feelings of happiness, joy, excitement and accomplishment - the sense of achievement seem to make us forget exactly how damaging and harmful these vehicles are for the environment.
Public transport is long, having to wait for the bus or for the train is long, being on the bus or train is even longer. Sometimes we even need to take more than one bus just to get to our exact destination. on top of that, you still have to walk to and from the bus stop and occasionally buses are late or simply don't show up. Public transport is not always dependable and can be very frustrating, particularly when you could've just jumped in the car and reached exactly where you needed to be in precisely 10 minutes. But this is egotistical thinking, as private transportation is one of the world's main sources of greenhouse gases, which, when release into the atmosphere, contribute to global warming. I understand that your one car may not seem like it will have much impact on the planet but when everyone has a car and is driving, this impact increases significantly. When everyone makes use of public transport, there will be a lot less vehicles on the road which in turn means that there will also be a lot less carbon dioxide emissions, less traffic congestion and pollution. Act fast and change your mode of transport today!
Transport decarbonisation
Decarbonising transport promotes a more carbon-neutral method of transport to help halt global warming. We can still do the same things, but the way that we do it needs to be changed if we want to positively impact the planet and avoid serious damage to it. We will still be able to fly, we will still be able to drive, we will still be able to travel but doing so will require a new strategy, we need to take a different approach. A different approach consisting of using more efficient aircraft, sustainable fuel and zero emission cars. In addition to facilitating human movement from one place to another, transport also allows for the delivery of goods and products. It helps us travel around the world, it influences our living standards and our quality of life. Transport decarbonisation allows this to continue but in a more sustainable way, using less carbon-intensive transportation. To achieve net zero emissions, transportation emissions need to be tackled urgently.
Let's make a change. Let's stop the melting of the polar ice caps, the rising sea level, the extreme weather conditions, the loss of species, the lack of food, the increased health risks. Let's stop global warming, because global warming isn't a prediction, it's what's happening in the world right now and it's only us as humans that can help to put a stop to this.
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