Dec. 13, 2007
Role of public transportation in reducing global warming highlighted at international climate change conference
King County was in the spotlight last week at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, as Metro Transit General Manager Kevin Desmond presented information on how public transit can be an asset in reducing global warming.
Desmond’s presentation—titled "Public Transportation's Role in a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy"—was given on the behalf of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Desmond spoke about national efforts by APTA and its members that mirror those practiced in King County to promote transit use as a way of protecting the environment.
He shared a recent report conducted for APTA that addresses the questions of how much net CO2 is being reduced in the United States through the use of transit, and how additional CO2 savings are possible by encouraging broader use of public transportation.
Desmond's presentation included information about: the value of public transit in developing a climate-change strategy; new data on how transit use reduces overall fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions; and how transit use can shift a nation's dependence on foreign oil imports.
Among the newest U.S. statistics that Desmond cited were:
- The shift from personal vehicles to transit use lowers the dependence on foreign fuel by 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline annually—or 4 million gallons per day;
- The use of public transit reduces carbon emissions by up to 7 million tons a year through reduced vehicle travel, less traffic congestion, and cleaner transit fuel use; and
- On a personal level, one household’s use of public transportation can save up 20 lbs. of carbon emissions a day.