Meghan Stouter Stouter 1

Dr. Eser
EGEE 101H
April 8, 2014
Semester Paper Transportation
Transportation has changed dramatically from the beginning of humanity to present
times. From the invention of the wheel, the domestication of animals, the creation of boats and
trains, to the development of airplanes, transportation has constantly evolved into what it is
today. Our strong and efficient transportation system provides businesses with access to
materials and markets, and provides people with access to goods, services, recreation, jobs,
and other people. It is a non-separable part of society and an aspect that deserves much
attention because it affects our lifestyles, economy, and less frequently realized, our
environment. This paper will touch on the role transportation plays in these aspects of life and
discuss more in depth its harm to the environment and what can be done to lessen this impact.
There has always been a necessity for transportation because there has always been a
necessity for trade amongst civilizations. Before any major advancements in transport
technology, in 1800 natural waterways were how people traveled long distances, so most cities
were located on coasts and rivers (America on the Move). One hundred years later, by the
turn of the twentieth century, railroads sped across thousands of miles of track. The expansion
of these railways was made possible by the steam engine, a type of external combustion
engine. In these, the fuel burns outside the engine to create steam, and the steam creates
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motion inside the engine (Brain). The spread of railways allowed for the expansion of cities and
towns across the country; however, even trains would not compare to the upcoming popularity
and convenience of automobiles. At first cars were considered luxury items, but thanks to mass
production and Henry Fords assembly line, they quickly became affordable. In 1900, Americans
owned 8 thousand cars, in 1920, 8 million (America on the Move). Rather than the external
combustion engine, now most vehicles operated on the more efficient internal combustion
engine in which the combustion of a fuel (normally a fossil fuel) occurs with an oxidizer (usually
air) in a combustion chamber (Brain). The automobiles provided an extremely useful mode of
transportation and a way to save time and have more privacy. Just when Americans thought
transportation couldnt get any better, an entirely new mode was introduced in the early years
of the 20th century the famous airplane. Regional airlines began offering regularly scheduled
passenger flights in the late 1920s and by the 1960s they were flying millions of passengers. By
the twenty-first century, there were more than 220 million cars in the United Statesmore
than one car for every person over the age of 18, and around 2 million passengers were flying
on airlines every single day (America on the Move). It is easy to observe how dramatically
transportation has changed and it has proved to be a necessity to our culture.
Transportation touches each one of us every day in all aspects of our lives. One in eight
jobs throughout the economy is directly linked to transportation (Transportation of the United
States). The average American drives around 13,476 miles per year, or 37 miles a day
(Asphalts Getting Crowded). In addition to this it contributes 11 percent of the Nation's
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gross domestic product, amounting to approximately $950 billion (Transportation of the
United States). The U.S. transportation system includes various modes of travel: highways,
transit, rail, air, and water and there are over 3.9 million miles of public roads, 120,000 miles of
major railroads, 25,000 miles of commercially navigable waterways, and over 5,000 public-use
airports. These systems have allowed for new jobs, and trading opportunities that never
seemed possible prior. There is no discrediting the fact that America needs transportation and
that it provides many positive things for our country, but what often gets ignored or unnoticed
is the fact that our transportation use has accounted for a huge part of damage to our Earth.
The activities of the transport industry release several million tons of gases each year
into the atmosphere. These include lead (Pb), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane (CH4), nitrogen oxides (NOx), nitrous oxide (N2O), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs),
perfluorocarbons (PFCs), silicon tetraflouride (SF6), benzene and volatile components (BTX),
heavy metals (zinc, chrome, copper and cadmium) and particulate matters (ash, dust)
(Rodrigue). The U.S. transportation sector is responsible for about a third of our countrys
climate-changing emissions. Globally, about 15 percent of manmade carbon dioxide comes
from cars, trucks, airplanes, ships and other vehicles (Transportation and Global Warming).
Global warming has been a hot, controversial topic of discussion recently and is largely
attributed to the emissions released from vehicles. It refers to the continual increase in Earths
average temperature. Related to this, the gases cars release, especially nitrous oxide, greatly

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contribute to the depletion of the stratospheric ozone (O3) layer which naturally screens the
earths surface from ultraviolet radiation and acts as a shield.
Other aspects of the environment which are hurt by the effects of transportation
include our water, soil, and biodiversity. Fuel, chemical and other hazardous particulates
discarded from aircraft, cars, trucks and trains or from port and airport terminal operations,
such as anti-freeze, can contaminate rivers, lakes, wetlands and oceans. The environmental
impact of transportation on soil consists of soil erosion and soil contamination. Soil
contamination can occur through the use of toxic materials by the transport industry. Fuel and
oil spills from motor vehicles are washed on road sides and enter the soil, and highway
construction leads to loss of important and fertile soils. This also relates to deforestation
because of the need for new roads. This takes away the habitats of many animals and
organisms, but it also restricts the growth of certain plants. By altering, degrading, and
destroying wildlife habitat, in order to build new transportation systems, and by encouraging
additional development, roads have put dozens of species on the verge of extinction.
Not only do these dangerous emissions contribute to global warming and the
environment, but they also impact the quality of our air thus impacting human life. Motor
vehicles are the largest source of urban air pollution, generating more than two-thirds of the
carbon monoxide in the atmosphere, a third of the nitrogen oxides (which react to form smog),
and a quarter of the hydrocarbons (which also form smog) (Transportation and the
Environment). More than 125 million Americans live in areas with unacceptable air pollution.
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The Environmental Protection Agency attributes the premature deaths of over 64,000
Americans to air pollution annually. Toxic air pollutants are associated with cancer,
cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological diseases. On top of those serious health concerns,
the physical and chemical properties of particulates are associated with other risks such as
respiratory problems, skin irritations, eyes inflammations, blood clotting and various types of
allergies.
Environmental damage and endangerment to humans are of course serious motives to
try to find solutions to the negative effects of transportation, but so too is the incredible
amount of energy the sector uses. The United States demand for transportation energy
increased at an average rate of 1.1 percent from 1975 to 2010 and it is the largest consumer of
transportation energy in the world -- around 27% equivalent to 27.5 quadrillion Btu
(International Energy Outlook 2013). Broken down, the mode of transportation the majority
of this energy use is light vehicles (59%), followed by medium/heavy trucks (22%), air travel
(8%), water travel (5%), rail (2%), buses (1%) and other modes (3%) (U.S. Emissions). The main
source of energy for these modes is petroleum. In fact petroleum accounts for 93% of energy in
the U.S. transportation sector (Petroleum). Our incredible use of this resource though has left
us dependent upon it which is dangerous considering it is not renewable and the United States
has to import most of it from other countries. In fact, Americans spend over $100,000 per
minute to purchase foreign oil, making oil consumption an important part of the national trade
deficit (Transportation and the Environment).
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One can observe that our current transportation sector in the United States has many
flaws to it, but there are also many potential solutions and changes that can be made in order
to solve some of these complications. One of these solutions entails driving more efficient
vehicles, preferably hybrids or electric cars. When comparing the greenhouse gas emissions of a
standard vehicle and a hybrid vehicle, measured in pounds of CO2, for a one hundred mile trip,
the conventional vehicle emits 87 pounds of CO2 while the hybrid emits 57 pounds (Fuels and
Vehicles). This thirty pound difference for every one hundred miles adds up quickly and can
make a significant positive impact on the environment. By making our cars more efficient over
the next ten years, we'll cut global warming pollution by more than 350 million metric tons and
save 2 million barrels of oil a day (Global Warming Solutions). In addition to driving more
efficient vehicles, another solution related to personal transportation is carpooling or taking
advantage of public transportation. The average car consumes about 550 gallons of gas every
year, so the U.S. could save 33 million gallons of gas each day if the average commuting vehicle
carried one additional person (Environmental Benefits). In addition to carpooling, public
transportation use saves the U.S. the equivalent of 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually and
more than 11 million gallons of gasoline per day. U.S. It also saves 37 million metric tons of
carbon dioxide annually, and households that use public transportation save an average of
more than $8,000 every year (Public Transportation). Even simply driving a few miles less per
week would significantly cut down on total emissions released into the atmosphere.

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The solutions just mentioned all have to do with individual lifestyle changes which many
people might have a difficult time complying with, so public policy can play a huge role in
protecting our environment from the effects of transportation. Acts such as the Clean Air Act
help cut down on pollution and some states make it mandatory for each vehicle to pass annual
emissions tests which verify that the car is safe for the driver and that all parts of the car which
reduce emissions are operating properly. On top of these, some policies that if implemented
could reduce environmental damage include: parking access changes, such as reduced or
flexible minimum parking requirements, cash subsidies for employees, and unbundling parking
from building space, which would encourage transit use. Also, pay as you drive pricing for
insurance companies, high occupancy vehicles-only lanes giving buses, vanpools, and carpools
priority over general traffic, commute trip reduction programs which would give commuters
resources and incentives to reduce their automobile trips, improved walking and biking
conditions to encourage driving less, and road/congestion pricing, where motorists pay a fee to
drive on a particular roadway which causes drivers to shift travel times, routes, destinations,
and modes of transport, and increases overall transportation efficiency (Litman).
Transportation is an extremely important part of our society and it seems impossible to
even think about what life would be like without cars and airplanes to get us places as quickly
and conveniently as possible. It allows for trade both internally and externally stimulating the
economy, and it keeps advancing. However, there needs to be more attention paid to the
effects it has on the environment and energy consumption. There are many negative
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consequences that result from our automobiles including global warming, air pollution, and
wasting energy. There are various ways to try to prevent these from happening, so if more
people make simple lifestyle changes or more policies are implemented to lessen these effects,
there could be a significant effect. We will never be able to live in a world without
transportation and it is amazing to see how much progress the sector has made, but there is
still so much people, especially Americans can do to lessen its effect on the environment.











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