Image via WikipediaCities: A Smart Alternative to Cars: Creating compact communities—and eliminating the need to drive everywhere—may be the best way to slash greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles (Business Week, Feb. 11, 2008)Also discussed here: Less Auto-Dependent Development Is Key to Mitigating Climate Change, Research Team Concludes- New book documents how key changes in land development patterns could help reduce vehicle greenhouse gas emissions (Smart Growth America)
And here: My Other Car is a Bright Green City (World Changing, Alex Steffen, Jan. 23, 2008)
Today’s review articles focus on the reasons why curbing sprawl by developing compact communities lessens the need to drive and, as a result, lowers vehicles emissions more efficiently than incremental technological improvements in car design. Also, considering the major part that transportation - and private car use as a part of that - plays in greenhouse gas emissions, this sector warrants more attention than others in mitigating the impacts of climate change – which are evident world-wide in the news.
Key Quotes:
“Transportation generates more than a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gases, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. A portion of that comes from moving freight around but more than 20% is personal transportation.”
“If 60% of new developments were even modestly more compact, we'd emit 85 million fewer metric tons of tailpipe [car emissions] CO2 each year by 2030—as much as would be saved by raising the national mileage standards to 32 mpg”
“Because of population growth, the ongoing development churn in cities with buildings being remodeled or replaced, citywide infrastructure projects and changing tastes, half of the American-built environment will be rebuilt between now and 2030”
“if sprawling development continues to fuel growth in driving, the projected 48 percent increase in the total miles driven between 2005 and 2030 will overwhelm expected gains from vehicle efficiency and low-carbon fuels”
“Even if the most stringent fuel-efficiency proposals under consideration are enacted..vehicle emissions still would be 34 percent above 1990 levels in 2030 – entirely off-track from reductions of 60-80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 required for climate protection”
“two-thirds of development expected to be on the ground in 2050 is not yet built, meaning that the potential for change is profound.. shifting 60 percent of new growth to compact patterns would save 79 million tons of CO2 annually by 2030. The savings over that period equate to a 28 percent increase in federal vehicle efficiency standards by 2020 (to 32 mpg), comparable to proposals now being debated in Congress”
“many inner-ring suburban neighborhoods, for instance, could become terrific places simply by allowing infill development. Strip-mall arterials could be converted to walkable mixed-use streets. This transition can happen in a few years”
“it takes at least 16 years to replace 90% of our automotive fleet, and since it takes years to move a car design from prototype to production, it looks likely that the cars most people in the U.S. have available to drive in 2030 will not be all that different from the more efficient cars today”
“The average transportation expenditures for the median income household in the U.S. in 2003 was 19.1%, the highest expenditure after housing."
Related articles
- Urban Vulnerability to Climate Change (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
- Car makers 'reducing emissions' (autonetinsurance.co.uk)
- Urban Emissions of Greenhouse Gases (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
- A Personal Approach to Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions (everydayhealth.com)
- Does Ethanol in Fuel Make Vehicle Emissions Less Harmful? (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
- Electric cars key to greener future (autonetinsurance.co.uk)
- 12m electric vehicles set for 2030 (autonetinsurance.co.uk)
- Court rejects challenge to Calif.'s clean car regs (thenewstribune.com)
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