Earth Equity News

Report: U.S. Can Cut Half Its Carbon Emissions from Transportation by 2050. By Josh Voorhees, Greenwire, July 28, 2009. "The United States can cut greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in half by 2050 with strategies ranging from cutting speed limits to imposing road pricing, according to a report [Moving Cooler, PDF, summary, 17 pp]released today by federal agencies and environmental and industry groups. Examining about 50 transportation strategies, the report found transportation emissions could be reduced 24% by 2050 by acting to change travel behavior and land-use patterns. The emissions reduction hit 47% by adding road pricing techniques, ranging from pay-as-you-go insurance to charging Americans for every mile driven. The report found environmental gains from advances in fuel efficiency would be mostly undermined by increased travel and population, making it important to address the efficiency of the transportation sector by investing in public transit, land-use planning and other low-carbon alternatives... Transportation accounts for roughly 28% of the United States' greenhouse gas emissions, and the sector has been one of the fastest-growing in the past two decades -- representing nearly half of the nation's total increase in greenhouse emissions since 1990... The report was written by consulting firm Cambridge Systematics. Its sponsors include DOT, the American Public Transportation Association and Shell Oil Co.