Transportation Sector Consumption Of Fossil Fuel: Over the years, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been considered to be the primary reason for climate change.
This realization has necessitated the invention and introduction of initiatives such as the mitigation policies of GHG emissions by global governments and intergovernmental organizations.
In the last few decades, several climate change frameworks that are directed towards mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (which are the main components of the GHG emissions) have been reviewed consistently in order to suit the socioeconomic and environmental targets of the world (e.g., the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC1).
RELATED: Conventional Technologies
In 2015, a new set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) was identified in various critical international summits so as to aim to reduce GHG emissions through the UNFCCC.
However, even after such discussions have taken place, the world has yet to experience relief from the dilemma of decoupling economic growth from global warming.
This is primarily because of the significant contribution of CO2 emissions in the earth’s atmosphere due to the global and national economic activities that people indulge in, e.g., tourism, industrial manufacturing and transportation.
For instance, in the USA, the transportation sector was reported to have consumed around 28% of the total energy in the year 2019. This figure resulted from a spike in energy consumption over the years, compared to a contribution of 23.5% in the 1960s.
It is important to note that most of these energy sources come from liquid carbon-based fuels, which actively lead to GHG emissions, and as a result, poor air quality for us to enjoy.
The USA economy may be a leading economy of the world, but at the same time, it is also a leader in harmful carbon emissions.
Moreover, statistics showed that about 28% of the GHG emissions experienced by the USA in the year 2018 are associated with their transportation sector, thus making this sector the most significant contributor to anthropogenic GHG emissions.
Hence, the current study focuses on energy-related determinants, which contribute to the increase in CO2 emissions in the transportation sector of the USA.
This study can offer policy insights for the USA’s transportation sector and other global economies which are characterized by similar features, e.g., China.
Moreover, in this research, linkages and comparisons are made between the USA and China so as to get a better understanding of the dynamics of the possible environmental hazards that may or may not unfold in the future.
Thus, the current study can contribute towards achieving a sustainable global climate.
