In this guide, we outline what some of the potential pros and cons of sustainable transport might be.
This guide is complementary to our introductory guide about sustainable transport (what it is, examples, and so on).
Summary – Pros & Cons Of Sustainable Transport
Potential Pros
There’s a range of different potential solutions that can be implemented to make transport more sustainable
Can potentially help address environmental issues
Can potentially help address resource management issues
Can potentially help address social and human health issues
Progress has been made on some measures of increased transport sustainability
Potential Cons
Some might debate what metric/s in transport sustainability are most important to improve
No one solution is a ‘magic bullet solution’ – all potential solutions have tradeoffs or potential issues they also present
Economic viability can be a major barrier
Building new infrastructure, transitioning to new infrastructure, and retrofitting infrastructure can be an issue
There can be a range of technical, practical and logistical limitations and challenges
The geographic location and the planning/layout of cities can present barriers to implementing some solutions
Transport is getting less sustainable according to some sustainability measurements/stats
External factors like population growth can present an issue
Pros Of Sustainable Transport
There’s a range of different potential solutions that can be implemented to make transport more sustainable
These include but aren’t limited to:
– More walking, cycling, and methods of transport that don’t burn fuel or use electricity
– Methods of transport (such as some forms of public transport) that lower the sustainability footprint per passenger mile travelled
– Cleaner energy and fuel used in vehicles
– New vehicle types and technology
– Improvements to existing vehicles and transport technology
Can potentially help address environmental issues
Two key environmental issues that more sustainable transport might help address might include, but aren’t limited to:
– Reducing greenhouse emissions
– Reducing air pollutants
Can potentially help address resource management issues
More sustainable transport might help with this in the following ways:
– Reducing reliance on non renewable fossil fuels like oil
– Using more renewable resources like sun and wind
Can potentially help address social and human health issues
Including but not limited to:
– Human health risks that might be increased with more air pollution
Progress has been made on some measures of increased transport sustainability
Including but not limited to:
– Fuel efficiency per mile, or per capita, in some cities across the world
– Advances in the capability of some alternative vehicles, like hybrid, electric, and other newer vehicle technologies
Cons Of Sustainable Transport
Some might debate what metric/s in transport sustainability are most important to improve
For example, some might say it’s most important to pursue the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, whilst others might say it’s most important to reduce ambient air pollution
No one solution is a ‘magic bullet solution’ – all potential solutions have trade offs, and may even introduce new issues/problems
A good example of this might be electric cars.
Whilst electric cars do present some benefits and solutions, they also have some potential drawbacks and limitations, as well as tradeoffs.
They may even present new issues that have to be addressed.
Two potential issues with electric cars are:
– In terms of fuel, they are only as clean as the source they are getting their electricity from
Other good examples are biofuels, and also converted biomethane fuels, which although they both might have some benefits over fossil fuel based fuels, they also both might have their drawbacks environmentally, economically, and practically.
Economic viability can be a major barrier
Economic viability might be a challenge for some types or methods of sustainable transport
Some examples might be:
– The cost to produce (and subsidise)
– The cost to buy (and maintain or repair)
– Other supply side economics and demand side economics factors
Making a product affordable, economically competitive, and also profitable, can be a challenge.
Consumers, businesses and governments may also not have the funds in some instances to pursue some solutions.
Building new infrastructure, transitioning to new infrastructure, and retrofitting infrastructure can be an issue
Existing infrastructure is mainly built for petroleum and internal combustion vehicles.
Newer forms of ‘more sustainable transport’ may not benefit from having this infrastructure set up to ‘drop in’ to.
As one example, hydrogen fuel cell cars need many more refuelling stations and a way to transport hydrogen before hydrogen fuel cell vehicles becomes feasible on a mass scale.
There can be a range of technical, practical and logistical limitations and challenges
These limitations can be across many different facets of transport.
Just a few examples might include:
– Performance, capability and effectiveness of a mode of transport (especially compared to other fossil fuel products on the market)
– Time lag in investing in solutions and them actually being implemented
– Scaling up production
– Economies of scale
The geographic location and the planning/layout of cities can present barriers to implementing some solutions
Implementing changes in transport in some cities depends in some capacity on the layout of the city, and how much that layout can be changed.
Some cities might be mostly locked into, or stuck with the current public transport infrastructure and roads they have, because their current layout is rigid.
Transport is getting less sustainable according to some sustainability measurements/stats
Some reports indicate that whilst some technology makes some aspects of transport more sustainable, there might other factors that mean that it will be hard for transport to get more sustainable overall.
As one example, the total number of vehicles on roads is increasing annually in some cities, and the total distance being driven globally is increasing
Even if for example fuel efficiency has been improved markedly, if total distance travelled per year increases, improvements in overall sustainability may not be achieved.
External factors like population growth can present an issue
External factors like population growth can create more demand on the sale of private cars, which can result in more cars on the road, and more miles being driven per year in total.
These factors have the ability to impact the transport industry, and it’s sustainability
Sources
1. http://www.earthtimes.org/encyclopaedia/environmental-issues/sustainable-transport/
2. https://medium.com/@djjmilner/how-sustainable-transport-can-save-the-world-f2f64517dc52
3. https://www.vaughan.ca/projects/projects_and_studies/sustainable_transportation/Pages/default.aspx
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_transport
5. Rodrigue, J-P et al. (2020) The Geography of Transport Systems, Hofstra University, Department of Global Studies & Geography, Available at https://transportgeography.org/contents/chapter4/transportation-sustainability-decarbonization/
6. https://bettermeetsreality.com/sustainable-transport-what-it-is-types-examples/
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