Taking Climate Change into Account in U.S. Transportation

Introduction

The U.S. transportation system is the world's largest and provides the American economy and society with the greatest mobility on earth. However, the transportation sector also generates 27 percent of U.S. GHG emissions (see Figure 1). The U.S. transportation sector alone emits more CO₂ than the entire economy of any other country except China, which has four times the U.S. population. The U.S. transportation system is also primarily responsible for U.S. oil dependence.

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The transportation sector’s energy use and GHG emissions are rising. Cars and light trucks are not only being driven more, but also their fuel economy—unimproved since 1988—has actually begun to decline. For other modes, efficiency is improving, but growth in travel demand is exceeding the rate of improvement. Use of low-carbon fuels for all modes is increasing only slightly. Decisions made in the next several years could determine whether the U.S. transportation system continues to follow "business as usual" or takes an alternative path toward more aggressive efficiency improvements and more diverse, low-carbon energy sources.

NEXT: Increasing the Energy Efficiency of Vehicles [2]

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