Transportation Now Leading Cause of CO2 Emissions

Beginning in 1978, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from the electric power sector remained higher than the CO₂ emissions produced in the transportation sector (based on 12-month running totals) until February 2016 when transportation was responsible for more emissions.

There are several factors that have led to this change. On the transportation side, the recent rise in vehicle miles of travel has led to an increase in fuel consumption and subsequent rise in CO₂ emissions. Within the electric power sector, there was a decrease in CO₂ emissions from a high of 2,434 million metric tons (MMT) in 2008 to 1,810 MMT in May of 2016, about a 25% reduction. The decline in CO₂ emissions in the electric power sector is largely attributable to the decreasing use of coal for power generation.

There is hope that electric cars will catch on and help drive down emissions by relying on a cleaner power sector. Tesla demonstrated this solar-storage-EV vision with the recent launch of its sleek solar roof and storage system.

The advent of self-driving cars could also hasten this transition, thought it’s not yet clear how many autonomous vehicles will be electric and whether they’ll lead to more vehicle miles or less. Cities should be taking action now to reduce emissions as self-driving cars become more widespread.

And as the automotive industry transforms itself into the “mobility” industry, the hope is that services like ride-sharing will drive more efficiency as well. This is now extending to trucking with the launch of Uber Freight, connecting shippers and trucking companies the same way the Uber app does with riders and drivers.

Even aviation efficiency is gradually taking off, thanks to the use of more sustainable fuels, as demonstrated by actions at Boeing and a new financing partnership with Carbon War Room, SkyNRG and Seattle’s international airport.

Despite plenty of ideas for cutting transportation emissions, it’s still a moving target. The good news is that changes are afoot, and the way we move people and goods is literally connected to everything.