Combating Global Warming With Public Transportation
Ever since Henry Ford created the assembly line for mass production of personal automobiles, Americans have had a love affair with cars. For most 16-year-olds, it is a rite of passage to get your very own car to drive anywhere you want to go. In the last few decades, starting with the oil crisis of the ’70s, we’ve come to understand that this frivolous driving and use of oil is not a sustainable habit long term. Rising oil prices, unstable foreign oil sources, and the damage being done to the environment by this excessive use of fossil fuels has forced us to rethink our methods of transportation.According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, in 2007, transportation accounted for 68.9 of all petroleum uses in the United States. Passenger cars make up 34 of all transportation petroleum uses. In 2006, passenger cars travelled 4,684 million miles, compared to the 599 million miles traveled by rail. (more…)