Achieving environmental sustainability beyond technological improvements: Potential role of high-speed rail in the United States of America |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Civil Engineering, City College of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, Marshak Building, Suite MR-910, New York, NY 10031, United States;2. University Transportation Research Center, City College of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, Marshak Building, Suite MR-910, New York, NY 10031, United States;1. Municipality of Maastricht, University of Amsterdam, Plenkershoven 41, 6212GL Maastricht, The Netherlands;2. University of Amsterdam, UvA, Postbus 15804, 1001 NH Amsterdam, The Netherlands;3. Goudappel Coffeng B.V., University of Amsterdam, De Ruijterkade 143, 1011 AC Amsterdam, The Netherlands;1. Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza Università di Roma, Via Ariosto 25, Roma, Italy;2. Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, 181 Freedman Crescent, Winnipeg, Canada;1. School of Transportation and Logistics, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China;2. National Engineering Laboratory of Integrated Transportation Big Data Application Technology, Chengdu, China;3. Hebei Chizheng Environmental Technology Co., Ltd, Shijiazhuang, China;4. Lab of National United Engineering Laboratory of Integrated and Intelligent Transportation, No. 111, North Second Ring Road, Chengdu, 610031, China;1. Department of Electronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Alameda Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao, Spain;2. Department of Applied Economics III (Econometrics and Statistics), University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Avenida Lehendakari Agirre 83, 48015 Bilbao, Spain;3. Institute of Marine Sciences, ICM-CSIC, Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta, 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain;4. Research Group on Energy, Economy and System Dynamics, University of Valladolid, Spain;5. EKOPOL, Research Group on Ecological Economics and Political Ecology, Spain;1. City and Regional Planning, Knowlton School of Architecture, The Ohio State University, 275 West Woodruff Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;2. Institute of Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.15 ZhongGuanCunBeiYiTiao Alley, Haidian District, Beijing 100190, China;3. Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, 3710 McClintock Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA;4. School of Policy, Government and International Affairs, George Mason University, 3351 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22201, USA |
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| Abstract: | In order to reduce energy use and cut emissions that contribute to climate change, countries need to radically reinvent their fossil-fuel intensive transportation systems. As a major consumer of energy and contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the U.S. transportation sector faces extraordinary challenges in the twenty-first century. Transportation in the U.S. depends heavily on fossil-fuel dependent cars and planes to the near exclusion of more energy-efficient electric trains. In order to address this concern, some policy makers refer to “technological optimism” which seeks no systemic change but instead focuses on employing technology to reduce the energy demand and environmental impact of the status quo. On the other hand, some researchers suggest a systematic paradigm shift away from cars and planes to intermodal systems that improve the sustainability of the system as a whole. High-speed rail (HSR) is arguably such an investment that can further this shift and help to achieve a more diversified and balanced transportation system. In this respect, by largely examining the role of the U.S. cars and planes “culture” in the economy, this paper elaborates on how building a HSR system may help U.S. advance towards environmental sustainability in transportation, make a break from the status quo, and create a more balanced, multimodal transportation system that will improve the quality and efficiency of travel. |
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| Keywords: | High-speed rail Car dependency Sustainability Environmental costs Social costs Green house gas |
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