Here's your chance not just to be the mayor, but the original city planner as well! Imagine a medium sized city that would be developed with modern, low carbon transportation in mind, and other strategies to reduce the average citizens' carbon footprints.
What would that city look like? Would that make you more likely to want to live there?
Sustainable City >
Transportation and Climate Change
Public transportation is commonplace in today's society. go to any city in the world and you can find buses and trains going everywhere. But what people don't pay attention to is the effect this has on the environment. According to epa.gov, public transportation is responsible for 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest contributor in the United States. if people would take alternate forms of transportation such as biking, walking or carpooling, we would significantly reduce our carbon footprint, making a cleaner and healthier earth.
I agree with what you are saying about how transportation effects our atmosphere and environment. I believe that transportation as a whole is okay where it's at. If someone has to go say 15 miles from point A to point B it becomes very inefficient, but with our day in age we are slowly moving towards a cleaner and more sustainable source of transportation. If we can get the same amount of "efficiency" as a car without the labor of a bike we can kill two birds with one stone. That's where electric vehicles come in, but again not all people have access to purchase these types of vehicles. I can agree with all of your stated methods like biking, walking, or carpooling but they all have their own use and place.
I didn't know that public transportation caused so much pollution in our environment. In my city I have noticed advancements in the pollution public transportation causes. I have seen multiple buses that are more 'eco-friendly'. Actually, in 2015 in San Fransisco CA they introduced 37 more eco-friendly and reliable public buses to the city. Part of what makes the buses more eco-friendly than others is they are made partially from recycled materials like glass and metals. Also, sections of the buses are made from biodegradable materials that can naturally decompose. My sources are cited below.
Personally, I don't agree at all. I do doubt that public transportation is responsible for more emissions than cars and planes combined. Though a bus basically emits as much as a car, it's how many people use them that reduces the emissions, it's almost like carpooling but with more people in a bigger car. If 20 people commute on a bus, that's like taking 20 cars off the road which is a huge deal if there are tens of millions using public transit (which there are). In addition, there are not only buses but subways and railways for longer commutes that are still so much more efficient and greener than cars. I'm not saying your opinion is wrong though, I agree that biking or walking is much better, but for many, transportation is their only option besides by car which is expensive and horrible for the environment.
Mass transport is definitely the way to go for large cities. Many American cities suffer from lots of pollution and smog from all the cars and trucks on the road. The culture of buying bigger and bigger SUVs and trucks also leads to more fuel inefficient vehicles on the road. By allowing people access to cheap (or ideally free) mass transit options that can carry them where ever they need to go within the city, carbon emissions can easily be cut down. Also, by having government controlled subways and buses, switching to electric options could be more easily implemented and would not rely on every citizen to switch to a more sustainable electric vehicle. Cities like Mexico City have greatly benefited from large subway systems, and their pollution from cars has dropped significantly. When in Mexico City, a subway will take you within walking distance of nearly everywhere in the city, which largely eliminates the need for a car from someone that lives there.
Mass transportation is certainly better for the environment than cars, and biking and walking better still. In cities, mass transportation is very effective, the layout and population density makes it much easier than driving. Biking and walking is even more beneficial for the environment. However, biking and walking are simply not as time efficient. City streets are crowded and may make it difficult to get anywhere safely. Also, in colder months, it would be a pain to walk or bike in snow. Depending on the city, public transportation, while having a large carbon footprint, still might be an overall better method.