How does Traveling Affect the Environment?

Traveling in a vehicle is a great impact of pollution and contributes to climate change. Every time you get into your vehicle, emissions continue to destroy the environment. Alongside traveling in means of tourism by taking a boat or airplane all contribute to these emissions and pollution, which are harmful to the environment.

This week I read a news article that is about how New Hampshire is going to be putting in electric vehicle charging stations around major roadways in NH. According to the article, only two percent  of vehicle sales last year were electric vehicle, however by putting in these charging stations may promote more people to convert to electric vehicles (Ropeik). New Hampshire will be spending about two million dollars to construct these charging stations will be begin to construct these areas within the next eighteen months (Ropeik).

Converting to electric vehicles is more eco friendly because they reduce the amount of emissions in the environment. According to the EPA, an average car emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon per year, if the car gets about 22 miles per gallon and drives 11,500 miles per year ("Greenhouse Gas..."). If more cars switched to electric vehicles imagine how many emissions and pollution they would prevent from damaging the environment.

It's very shocking to think of how much carbon dioxide emissions are created by one vehicle in one year because once you think about all the vehicles that are gas or diesel fueled create an enormous amount of pollution.

Electrify America electric vehicle charging stations are shown in the parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter at 501 SW 19th St. in Moore.
(Ritcher)

Globally, tourism is very popular, and sixty percent of air transportation is due to tourism, which is a big impact on pollution (Dysart). I was surprised that tourism wasn’t a larger amount because although that is a large percentage I thought it would be bigger considering how much people travel due to tourism.

Cruise ships estimate create 70,000 tons of waste every year in Caribbean, and that's just in the Carribean (Dysart). It is very shocking how much pollution these ships create even in one area.

As Marc Crothall from the Scottish Tourism Alliance stated that, “The impact we ourselves have on our global environment and our destinations, we are being much more conscious in making our leisure and food choices" (Dysart).

(Nissinen)

Although as you are probably wondering is how can we reduce pollution due to air and ocean transportation without polluting the environment? Although it is hard to determine a solution to reduce the pollution of air and ocean transportation by becoming aware of how much pollution traveling creates and thinking of possible alternatives to help save the environment.

Crothall also said, “We know that the global climate emergency agenda has shifted the way we think about where we travel and stay, how we get there" (Dysart). by informing others and thinking about how traveling damages the environment.


Works Cited:

Dysart, Chloe. "Tourism is affecting Scottish economy, environment." PSU
     Vanguard, 2 Dec. 2019, psuvanguard.com/
     tourism-is-affecting-scottish-economy-environment/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2019.

"Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle." EPA, www.epa.gov/
     greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle. Accessed
     5 Dec. 2019.

Nissinen, Antti T. Cruise Ship Pollution. Responsible Travel,
     www.responsibletravel.com/copy/the-future-of-cruise-holidays.

Ritcher, Byran M. Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in a Walmart Parking Lot.
     KGOU, www.kgou.org/post/ev-charging-stations-increase-oklahoma.
     Accessed 5 Dec. 2019.

Ropeik, Annie. "State Will Use VW Funds For High-Speed Electric Vehicle Charging
     Areas On Major N.H. Roadways." New Hampshire Public Radio, 25 Nov. 2019,
     www.nhpr.org/post/
     state-will-use-vw-funds-high-speed-electric-vehicle-charging-areas-major-nh-roadw
     ays#stream/0. Accessed 5 Dec. 2019.



Comments

  1. Ms. LaClairDecember 8, 2019 at 7:24 PM

    Are there more green options if people want to travel? The information about cruise ships is pretty startling. Is that worse than air flight as a method of transportation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousDecember 9, 2019 at 6:57 PM

      There are some green options to traveling like, taking buses or trains instead of driving or flying, although you can try to fly directly rather than getting on another plane if that is possible. Also you may be able to find some planes that are energy efficient. The most important thing is that taking bus or train rather than a plane emits 3-7% less gas than traveling by air, meaning that it they are emitting less CO2, and using less resources, and are better for the environment than air transportation.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousDecember 9, 2019 at 8:26 AM

    I like your word chose, especially in the beginning when you say "emissions continue to destroy the environment." I like it. You had good attention raising facts too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDecember 9, 2019 at 9:03 AM

    Is there an estimate on how long it will be before most (or even all) of NH will be using electric cars?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousDecember 10, 2019 at 1:29 PM

      I honestly have no idea when NH will be using mostly electric vehicles, because currently 1 in 250 vehicles are electric on the roads, so it may be 20+ years in the future.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousDecember 13, 2019 at 8:24 AM

    You have very clear information, which helps me understand how bad/important these issues have gotten. I know electric cars aren't very cheap, do you think by the time electric vehicles spread more worldwide they will be affordable to most people? What do you think is the biggest cause to admitting the most carbon/plastic in our world is?

    ReplyDelete

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