Clean Transportation Can Protect Our Environment and Grow Our Economy

The Union of Concerned Scientists proposes a regional emissions limit for the Northeast US transportation sector, modeled after the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) for electricity. The document highlights that transportation is the region's largest pollution source, contributing over 40% of global warming emissions and causing significant health costs. It recommends a cap-and-invest strategy to hold oil companies accountable and fund clean mobility solutions, including electric vehicles and expanded public transit.

• Transportation is the primary source of pollution in the Northeast region, accounting for more than 40 percent of the total regional global warming emissions.
• Air pollution from cars and trucks in the Northeast causes over 50,000 asthma attacks and 1,000 deaths annually, resulting in approximately $27 billion in yearly health care costs.
• The US transportation system is heavily dependent on oil, which powers 92 percent of all transportation, making nearly all vehicle travel a source of pollution.
• Electric vehicles in the Northeast provide a cleaner alternative to gasoline vehicles, with emissions equivalent to a gasoline car achieving between 50 and 160 miles per gallon, depending on the local grid's renewable energy mix.
• The Union of Concerned Scientists recommends a "cap-and-invest" program for the transportation sector, where oil companies serving the Northeast would purchase allowances under an emissions cap, with the resulting revenue used to fund clean transportation programs.
• To achieve a cleaner system, the document suggests specific investments: subsidies for low-income residents to purchase electric vehicles, improved charging infrastructure, increased affordable housing and transit, and the electrification of government and corporate fleets.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2017). Clean Transportation Can Protect Our Environment and Grow Our Economy. https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/vehicles-ne-transportation-factsheet.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Clean Transportation Can Protect Our Environment and Grow Our Economy. 2017. https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/vehicles-ne-transportation-factsheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Clean Transportation Can Protect Our Environment and Grow Our Economy |date=October 2017 |url=https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/vehicles-ne-transportation-factsheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2017clean, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Clean Transportation Can Protect Our Environment and Grow Our Economy}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/vehicles-ne-transportation-factsheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }