Incorporating Greenhouse Gas Emissions into Transportation Planning and Decision Making.

摘要

Most climate scientists agree that humans are accelerating a change in the Earths climate through the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). In response, governments and organizations in the United States at the state, regional, and local levels have been enacting policies aimed at reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions. These policies typically include an overall emissions reduction target for a city, a state, or an agency. To meet reduction targets, some agencies and organizations are developing plans and strategies that are often disaggregated by emissions sources. Transportation, surface transportation in particular, is one of the most significant sources of GHG emissions: About 29% of all U.S. GHG emissions are from transportation, and emissions are expected to increase, as can be seen in Figure 1. So far, the most common transportation-related response to reduce GHG emissions and promote energy security through reduced energy consumption has focused on four core strategies: reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT), reduce carbon intensity of fuels, improve vehicle efficiency, and improve overall operational efficiency of the surface transportation system. Several of these strategies would require federal policy changes, namely advancements in vehicle technology and further regulation of fuel sources. However, transportation agencies at the state and local levels have more control over reducing VMT and improving the operational efficiency of the surface transportation system since they own, operate, and regulate much of the nations transportation system. Systematically incorporating GHG emissions into transportation planning and decision making can lead to successful strategies and plans for mitigation.