Our Driving Habits Must Be Part of the Climate Conversation

This briefing by RMI argues that reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the United States is essential for meeting climate goals, as transportation is the country's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The document outlines how systemic changes in land use, transportation pricing, and roadway design can reduce reliance on personal vehicles and mitigate the societal harms of urban sprawl.

• Transportation is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, accounting for 29 percent of the total. A significant portion of these emissions stems from passenger vehicles, with licensed drivers averaging over 14,000 miles annually, totaling three trillion vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per year.
• To limit global warming to 1.5°C, RMI analysis indicates that the United States must achieve a 20 percent reduction in VMT by the end of the decade, a requirement that persists even if electric vehicle adoption is ambitious.
• Smart growth development strategies, including infill development and transit-oriented development (TOD), could reduce VMT by an estimated 5 to 20 percent by co-locating residential density with destinations and promoting walkable urban communities.
• Transportation policy pricing signals, such as congestion pricing, parking pricing, and pay-as-you-drive (PAYD) policies, have the potential to reduce VMT by 5 to 15 percent depending on their specific design.
• Roadway reforms, including the cessation of highway expansions and the implementation of 'complete streets' and improved road connectivity, could yield VMT reductions of 3 to 6 percent. The document notes that highway expansions often increase driving via 'induced demand'; for instance, planned expansions in Colorado could increase statewide VMT by up to 3 percent by 2030.

APA

RMI (2021). Our Driving Habits Must Be Part of the Climate Conversation. https://rmi.org/resources/our-driving-habits-must-be-part-of-the-climate-conversation/

Chicago

RMI. Our Driving Habits Must Be Part of the Climate Conversation. 2021. https://rmi.org/resources/our-driving-habits-must-be-part-of-the-climate-conversation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Our Driving Habits Must Be Part of the Climate Conversation |date=24 August 2021 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/our-driving-habits-must-be-part-of-the-climate-conversation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2021our, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Our Driving Habits Must Be Part of the Climate Conversation}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/our-driving-habits-must-be-part-of-the-climate-conversation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }