The Impacts of Transportation on the Carbon Cycle
Carbon dioxide is the fourth most plentiful resource in our solar system; and the modern world is built with it. Unfortunately the built environment has exponential impacts on the environment—notably the carbon cycle. The carbon cycle is a simplified description of the movement of carbon dioxide throughout the system of our planet.
The carbon cycle outlines several major reservoirs that hold carbon dioxide: Co2 is absorbed by trees and foliage during photosynthesis and plant respiration. The plant matter created from this growth is often eaten by animals, which go on to respirate, releasing carbon dioxide. Dead organic matter from plants and animals can turn into fossil fuels, or be used as a biofuel. Human manufacturing and living uses these fuels in vast quantities—often by burning them, which releases even more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Mass transportation is one thing the modern world could not live without. Unfortunately the western world has defaulted to the automobile for that purpose. Internal combustion engines dominate the automobile industry. With large, heavy and inefficient trucks and SUVs the standard “family car” in most the the United States—with this sentiment quickly spreading to the rest of the western world. Signalled by major car manufacturers ending their sedan and passenger vehicle lines in favour of more profitable and inefficient trucks and SUVs.
Injecting a combined total of 90 mega tonnes of greenhouse gases across private, passenger and commercial vehicles in 2021. Australia alone gives a major addition to the natural carbon cycle. The environment has never needed to be adapted to this rapid influx of CO2 and other emissions. This upset has many consequences such as rising global temperature averages, resulting in a disruption to the natural climate and weather patterns. We often see these consequences labeled as climate change.
There is a deep cultural significance to cars in most parts of the world. Generations have been raised with the promise of fast efficient freeways moving thousands of people between cities. Driving in their own private noise sealed and climate controlled hunk of steel with heated seats. This makes the transition away from cars and into more efficient modes of transportation such as rail and active transport extremely difficult.
Active transportation is an umbrella term for transport where a human is active. This includes: cycling, walking and running. The relevant benefit of active transport is the near zero release of pollutants or greenhouse gases. Anyone using an active transport method also gets exercise on their journey. The one major problem with this is the limited range, no one can cycle or walk across the city, or between rural towns. This could be remedied by making active transport more convenient. Many large cities fail to provide a safe place for pedestrians or cyclists on streets and roads; with many bike lanes in Adelaide becoming street parking during the day.
Trains and trams solve most of the problems we encounter with mass car transit. Drastically lower emissions, nearly non-existent traffic delays if the system is adequately built. With a single petrol car releasing 192g/km on average, and a fully loaded diesel train only 171g/km; the train is also able to carry an order of magnitude more people. Along with being more environmentally efficient, there is a significant reduction in noise pollution from train stations and trams compared to 6 lane highways cutting through cities. However the benefits of rail services can be easily shrunk given neglect of the design of the stations and areas surrounding them.