People worldwide use transportation to get to where they need to go. This is important because without it, how will anyone get anywhere? They can’t, at least not if it’s far away! But what if it’s killing our Earth?
The choices we make about our means of transportation affect everyone.
Transportation, such as cars, buses, and trucks, releases gases called carbon emissions. These gases raise the temperature of the surface of the Earth; they are known as greenhouse gases. As the temperature increases, it is slowly starting to wear down our Earth and some of the great things about it, such as the icebergs.
Climate Change affects the many climates around the world. Some of the problems affected by climate change are more frequent and severe extreme weather events, changes in precipitation patterns, and rising sea levels.
You may be wondering, well, we need transportation, so is this just something we should ignore? No!
According to the United Nations; Act Now “To preserve a livable climate, the average annual carbon emissions per person will need to drop from 6.3 tons (2020) to 2.1 tons by 2030 as recommended by experts.” Vermont’s state law requires the state to emit no more than 5.14 million tons of carbon dioxide annually by 2030.
Our community needs to work together to lessen the rise in temperatures, meaning to lessen carbon emissions. Some ways we can do this are to walk, bike, take public transportation, or carpool. These will not eliminate the problem, since there has been no discovered way to do that yet, but will lessen it.
In Essex, you can find the schedule for Green Mountain Transit by following this link. It would also be helpful to think before leaving, is this a destination I can walk or bike to? Then decide appropriately from there. Cars and other vehicles are great means of transportation, and no one expects you to give them up fully, yet limiting the amount of time you drive or ride can help tremendously.
Another idea is to share means of transportation, such as a bike share. In Essex’s we have our limitations, and even though there is no traditional system, there are rentals or other programs that can offer bikes to eligible residents in the area.
If you are someone who requires a car, switching to electric can be a big help to our environment due to the lack of carbon emissions being added to the atmosphere.
By taking initiative and giving some of these ideas a try, you can work towards slowing down the rising temperatures of our home.
