Commute to a healthier environment.
Transportation is a part and parcel of our everyday lives, be it traveling to colleges or workplaces, going for long drives or road-trips, flying around the globe for work or vacation, commuting is constantly integrated in our lives. Technically, transportation is understood to be the various means through which goods and people are moved from one place to another. The different modes of transportation—roadways, railways, waterways, and airways—are all widely used by the huge population of our planet. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising at all that such a highly-indulged activity has a direct relation and impact on our environment. Our choice regarding the mode of transportation makes a huge impact on the quality of our environment and can contribute to either negating damage or contributing to the worsening condition of our environment.
Since transportation is a major energy user and burns most of the world’s petroleum, the effect it has on the environment is quite significant. It is a major facilitator of increasing air pollution to the dangerously exceeding amount of carbon dioxide emissions. Out of all the available modes of transportation, road transport is the biggest contributor to air pollution, therefore being primarily responsible for the degradation of the environment. However, it is necessary to state that road transport is inclusive of using vehicles to travel by roads rather than cycling or walking which are on the contrary encouraged to reduce carbon footprint.
Road transport has been popular in society because of its favorable characteristics like connectivity, affordability, and immediate and constant availability. However, the heavy reliance on road transport among the rapidly increasing pollution has led to the increase in air pollution. Over the years, the increase in the number of vehicles on the road has been fast. Therefore, the initial response to curtailing the growth of private vehicles on the road while ensuring that citizens could avail themselves of road transport services was to encourage responsible use of private vehicles, i.e., ensuring that people use private vehicles only when absolutely necessary, encouraging people to use public transport to reduce carbon emissions, encouraging the use of diesel vehicles, and encouraging cycling and walking.
Fortunately, such efforts have ensured a reduction in the carbon footprint and the air pollution levels have considerably dropped. It has been recorded that, compared to the level of air pollution that was anticipated for the last two decades, the actual level of air pollution has been lesser. After 2016, emissions of all pollutants decreased as compared to the previous years. These statistics have been quite satisfactory, but as a society, we cannot sit back and celebrate them for long. These are momentary improvements.
The introduction of electric vehicles is going to reduce the contribution of road transport to air pollution. This is because electric vehicles will not have tailpipes that would emit harmful pollutants into the air. Even though electric vehicles are a relatively new invention and have not been widely consumed in the market in recent days, the acceptance that EVs have received shows that people are willing to take responsible measures to reduce their carbon footprint. There are certain logistical and price concerns over electric vehicles that would require considerable thought, discussion, and realistic and practical solutions.
However, the positive response towards electric vehicles suggests that after mass production at affordable prices and the resolution of logistical concerns, electric vehicles may reduce air pollution to such an extent that they will be the future of environment-friendly road transport.
Additional efforts to reduce the air pollution caused by transportation vehicles in busy cities where heavy transportation is inevitable due to their dense population come in the form of urban greening initiatives. Initiatives like live walls have been adding to the aesthetic and visual appeals of the cityspaces while capturing the carbon dioxide that gets emitted into the air due to transportation. In Liverpool, England, a 65 meter long barren wall of a shopping center was converted into a leafy habitat of evergreens because it was located close to a very busy bus station. Such innovative ideas to tackle air pollution caused by transportation is the only way to go forward.
The effort to keep an under-control pollution rate has to be a conscious effort that involves continuous realization and accountability for society’s choices, decisions, and actions.
