The Future of Transportation Emission Issues

The coronavirus pandemic has already had significant short-term consequences for transportation emissions, particularly the much lower levels of emissions resulting from the declines in the use of all types of transportation (except bicycles and walking). How rapidly and how far the levels of emissions will rise during the next several years is an important question. The answer is substantially dependent on macro-economic conditions, as well as government policies, firms’ decisions, and public opinion. One possibility is that the deterioration of firms’ financial positions will inhibit their investments in energy efficiency equipment and other emission-reducing measures. At the same time, there are many opportunities to improve transportation systems’ infrastructure through government economic stimulus programs that can reduce emissions. Some projects are already in progress long before the pandemic and recession are over: installing electric recharging stations for motor vehicles, expanding high-speed rail systems, and developing seaport infrastructure to reduce the use of ships’ auxiliary diesel engines. There may also be a shift in public opinion, industry practices, and government policies in reaction to the extent to which soot from transportation, and other sectors, has contributed to the pandemic death rate by causing weak lungs and other unhealthy preconditions that make people more vulnerable to the coronavirus and to the extent to which soot has been a carrier of the virus from local ‘hot spots’ to wider regional, national, and even international areas.