Abstract
The United States is second behind China in CO2 emissions (CO2). Transportation accounts for over 27% of the total US Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Sources). Limiting transportation emissions in the United States will help reach the COP 26 goals. There are three solutions to mitigate emissions in this enormous sector. Providing strong incentives such as increasing rebates for car buyers will incentivize people to switch to electric vehicles. The second solution is allocating funding for charging infrastructure to support multi-unit dwellings, public charging, and long distance-travel and research, development, demonstration, and deployment efforts to support advances in zero-emission vehicles. Finally, increase the budget in the advertising sector to improve awareness about climate change associated with transportation in the United States.
The Problem and the US as Contributor
According to the World Climate Clock, we have a little more than seven years before the world's C02 budget is spent, and the damage we will have done to the Earth will be irreversible. This could lead to global famine, drought, floods, displacement, conflict, suffering, and disaster. We must turn the corner on greenhouse gas emissions by 2030! Big, bold policy changes will be needed to help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.
Mitigation in the United States (US) is crucial in the fight against climate change. The US is the second-leading producer of CO2 in the world, and transportation is the largest sector of human emissions, accounting for 27% of total emissions. The US has over 276 million registered vehicles, over 90% with combustion engines. This is significant, considering there are only 2 billion combustion vehicles worldwide (Mathilde). A typical passenger car emits a toxic 4.6 metric tons of C02 a year. As the footnoted chart shows, US per-capita electric vehicle sales are drastically lower than in China and Europe (Mathilde). The US can reduce a major portion of its share through strong incentives for e-vehicle acquisition, increasing accessibility to e-mobility charging infrastructure, and promoting advertising on the causal effects transport has on climate change (CO2).
Incentivize E-Mobility
It is crucial to incentivize consumers to replace their combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles. In some states, there is a tax credit of up to $7500 for purchasing an electric car. An example of this is the new electric Ford F-150 Lightning which is sold out, and scheduled for increased production (Wayland). As more e-vehicles are produced, buyers will be eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500, along with various state and local electric vehicle incentives (7500). This is not enough to incentivize a large number of people to purchase an electric vehicle like the Ford F-150 Lighting. $7500 is relatively minor in comparison with the truck’s hefty $40,000 price tag. Increasing the $7500 tax credit will increase the number of people purchasing electric vehicles.
In addition to monetary incentives, creating the best electric vehicle possible is important for consumers. For example, something as simple as a front trunk, also known as a “frunk” in the case of the F-150, might help persuade people to purchase an electric vehicle instead of a combustion engine vehicle. We also must incentivize auto manufacturers to produce and sell electric vehicles faster. Offering them tax cuts will increase the production of electric vehicles because they then will have a larger profit margin than combustion vehicles. This is very lucrative for car manufacturers. For example, Ford, in part due to its electric truck, "[b]ooked $17.9 billion in profit on 136.3 billion in revenue in 2021 compared to a $1.3 billion loss on $127.1 billion revenue in 2020" (Grzelewski). Amid a global shortage of crucial vehicle components, such as semiconductor chips, these profit margins show how electric vehicles are important monetary assets (Grzelewski). Currently electric car sales are increasing, but not at a rapid enough pace. If we want to increase electric vehicles on the road, the proposal presented here must be implemented swiftly.
Build Battery Charging Infrastructure
The second solution is allocating funds for infrastructure to support multi-unit dwellings, public charging, and long distance-travel and research, development, demonstration, and deployment efforts to support advances in zero-emission vehicles (Kampsop). Without the proper infrastructure to support electric cars, people will not purchase them, even with incentives. This is like asking someone to purchase a combustion engine car with no gas stations nearby. Infrastructure improvements will give consumers the confidence to purchase an electric vehicle. Funding is needed urgently. Currently, the US has roughly 110,000 public charging ports for electric cars (Developing)- a fraction of what is needed. It is estimated that, to sustain electric vehicles, one public charging station is needed for every 10 to 15 electric vehicles (Muller). According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institutes’s chart of electric vehicle charging stations, many places in the US do not have a public charging station within 1,000 miles of a public road. As more charging stations are being built, they will continue to attract public attention, giving consumers the confidence to own an electric vehicle. Another benefit is that it will stimulate the economy. Many people will be hired to build the stations. (Muller).
Inform and Advertise
In addition to the incentives and infrastructure, the final solution is the ability to get the information out about climate change associated with transportation. Advertising is a huge aspect of the everyday life of the typical US citizen. The US is the largest advertizing market in the world with more than 285 billion dollars being spent on advertising, but only roughly 10 million was expended on advertizements for climate change in 2021 (Gutmann). Every day in the US, digital marketing experts estimate most Americans are exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 advertizements (Wroblewski). With digital marketing being such a major industry, advertizing transportation's effects on global warming would reach millions (Simpson). This is vital because a recent national study conducted by Climate Communication stated that only around "50% of Americans understand that global warming is caused mostly by human activities" (Americans). We must advertize and educate the public to ensure broad public consensus on the necessity for big bold climate change mitigation.
Companies should join the fight by partnering up with organizations such as The Climate Reality Project to increase awareness while advertising their products. In addition, automobile manufacturers should “reinvent brand positioning” as e-mobility is the future (Kempf). An example has recently been used by Vokswagen (Kempf). Volkswagen is emphasizing its large charging network with the slogan “E-Mobility for all” in order to increase e-mobility (Kempf). As charging infrastructure increases in the US, it is important to advertise to gain consumer confidence. A big recent endeavor that occurred in social media when electric vehicle producer Tesla's CEO Elon Musk bought Twitter. If he does become the CEO of Twitter he will likely begin to promote climate change on this platform. In 2018 Musk sounded like a climate champion when he stated, "climate change is the biggest threat humanity faces this century" (Betts). Large public figures such as Musk need to continue to answer this call to act urgently to help save the planet.
Finance E-Mobility
The US government can make these benefits achievable through bold climate policies. The top ten percent of the wealthiest people in the US hold 69.8% of the wealth (Buccholz). 32.1% of the wealth is held by the top one percent of the wealthiest people in the US (Buchholz). We must increase taxes on the rich! These tax increases will allow the US to fund the incentives, charging infrastructure, and public awareness campaigns associated with electric vehicles adequately. Currently, only a small portion of the federal budget is allocated for transportation. Recently President Biden stated that by "2030 50% of all new vehicles sold should be electric or plug-in hybrid electric models, and 500,000 new electric vehicle charging stations should be constructed" (Muller). This is nowhere near what is necessary. We must abandon politicizing climate change and implement transformational policies. As Ronald Reagan asserted: "Preservation of our environment is not a liberal or conservative challenge. It's common sense" (Betts).
EU US Collaboration
David Mader's research on electric vehicles in the EU gives a great insight into how the US and European Union can work together. His proposed solutions are very similar to the possible solutions in the US. In the EU financial subsidies, just as the US, could incentivize electric vehicle purchases. Additionally, to become a more effective catalyst, the US could emulate the EU regarding infrastructure. The EU has roughly 375,900 public charging stations, considerably more than the US (Kampshoff). The EU has continuously created an infrastructure for electric cars more rapidly than the US. Another solution proposed by Mr. Mader is to make climate change a mandatory school subject, as Italy did in 2019. This is similar to what public awareness campaigns and advertizing could accomplish in the US. The US and the EU must work together to identify and share best practices, pursuing the very best collaboratively.
In the US, incentives, infrastructure, and advertizing for e-mobility can reduce 27% of CO2 emissions, keeping that 1.5-degree goal in reach (EPA). The US is capable of making this change! The US is incredibly malleable, as the Covid-19 vaccine program demonstrates. The climate change crisis can be crushed! As we proceed, it seems worthwhile to recall what current climate activist Bill Joy asserts: "We need the world. The world does not need us.”
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