Report: Americans Must Reduce Driving to Meet Climate Goals

A report from the U.S. Department of Transportation highlights the need to reduce driving in addition to adopting electric vehicles to reach decarbonization goals, writes Kea Wilson in Streetsblog USA — “but it's unclear if any level of government is prepared to take the steps necessary to do both,” Wilson adds.

Assuming that no further climate legislation is passed, one study cited in the report found that transport emissions are on track to grow a staggering 23 percent by 2050, rather than falling to net zero, which experts say is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

According to the report, no level of government has taken sufficient steps to reduce driving. “The U.S. will not be able to decarbonize the transportation sector by midcentury without addressing increased demand,” the report emphasizes.

The report calls for increasing convenience “by decreasing the distance Americans need to travel to key destinations (and the safety they can expect along the journey), as well as ‘improving efficiency’ by supporting mass transportation and better freight strategies.”

Wilson points out that, despite the report’s findings, USDOT continues to award grants to projects that perpetuate car-centric planning and transportation systems.