Urban Transportation – Key to Rising Global Temperatures

Now is the best time to reduce one’s reliance on fossil fuels. The prices of oil and gas are rocketing high due to the Russia-Ukraine war and the ill effects of climate change are more pronounced today. Governments all around the world strongly emphasize increasing the usage of electric vehicles, especially for public and official transportation. However, the implementation is a tad slow, especially in developing countries like India where electric cars are expensive and the infrastructure is in the nascent stages. Given the rising population, the means of urban transportation will keep on increasing as such it is important to watch our habits and contribute to the environment.

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As citizens, we can still do our part by increasing our reliance on walking as well as cycling for shorter distances, using public transport and availing of electric cabs as and where available. Urban transportation is the key to rising global temperatures. Making a few habitual changes on our part will help in reducing congestion and pollution as well as promoting healthier lifestyles.

Steps towards incentivizing public transportation as well as improving walking and cycling infrastructure, like pedestrian lanes and bike pathways, could cut reliance on fossil fuels to a great extent. Making rules to promote pedestrian walking, making cycling safe, especially for children and the elderly, and reducing speed limits for vehicles could go a long way to reduce the use of fossil fuels in the future. It is estimated that to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C by 2030, public transport capacity needs to be doubled and more than half of trips should be made by walking or cycling. The countries should make investments in new, cleaner, more comfortable infrastructure a priority. The overall benefits are many and include overall economic and climatic as well as human health improvements.