New Ways of Moving Against Climate Change
The Climate’s Changing… Now what do we do?
If you’re reading this and you live in the US, chances are you want to do something about the changing climate but you’re not sure what you can do. According to a poll done by the American Psychological Association, 71% of respondents were somewhat or very motivated to make changes but 51% of them also reported not knowing where to start. By exploring a local public transportation project and comparing it to highway traffic data (between 2012–2022), I’ll work to uncover an avenue for making substantial steps towards addressing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as one step on the way to a climate just future.
Look to local projects!
When considering global and national conditions, it can be quite easy to turn to despair and to forget where we do have the power to change things. For my own local investigation, I will be comparing the planned RTD Northwest Rail Line and its maximum passenger capacity to Colorado Department of Transportation’s traffic data which keeps track of the total number of cars on the road between the years 2012 and 2022. In 2004, voters approved the FasTracks plan to expand RTD transit across the Denver metro region. This plan offered the possibility of an efficient and leisurely commute to seven proposed stations between Denver and Longmont, known as the Northwest Rail Line or B Line.
This rail line being completed matters personally to me as a student who has relies on public transportation to transit between Denver and Boulder to attend classes on campus. In this article, I argue that this commuter rail line being completed beyond its current end at Westminster would have a significant impact on the quality of life of every person who must travel between Denver-Boulder.
How would the proposed rail line compare to current-day highway transportation?
To understand what this proposed line might offer, we need to look at how our current traffic system operates with cars on the road. On Colorado highways between 2012 and 2022, the average vehicle counts peaked at 3,044 at 4pm and the average count was lowest at 148 vehicles at 4am. The highest total number of vehicles on the road in the decade recorded was 6,361. This is in contrast to the Northwest Rail Line, which is planned to be a diesel commuter rail, able to carry 170 passengers and reaching speeds of up to 79 miles per hour. Using the specifications available on RTD’s website, I was able to calculate theoretical peak traffic for the Northwest Rail Line which comes out to 10,320 passengers per hour. When compared with the highest total number of cars on the highway, the completed Northwest Rail Line is expected to be able to transport 1.60 times as many passengers per hour. Judging from this comparison, more students in cities between Denver and Longmont would be able to travel to their schools at even faster speeds by safer means.
Breaking down Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions between On-road traffic and Public Transit
A common way to understand human-made impacts on the environment is to examine the amounts and effects of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The gasses in this category are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide to name a few. The Denver Greenhouse Gas Inventory taken in 2019 reports that vehicles on the road emitted a total of 2,670,048 metric tons of carbon dioxide gas, which is known for its ability to keep heat trapped within the atmosphere contributing to global warming. On the other hand, Denver GHG emissions for buses and railways totaled 110,438 metric tons of total emissions, which means that vehicles on the road produced just over 24 times more total emissions than public transportation did that year. Based on these results, it’s clear that public transportation is a much more environmentally conscious choice for transportation infrastructure.
Now that you mention it, that does sound good! How can I get sustainable transportation where I live?
Creating a competitive public transportation infrastructure would not only increase the quality of life for every day commuters, but it would also reduce the amount of people driving on the road and thus create a safer, less stressful experience for individuals who still need to drive on the road or would like to. Moving forward with knowing how the Northwest Rail Line could be more environmentally-friendly, faster, and more efficient than the highway between Denver and Boulder: what do we do now? This list is hardly exhaustive, but it should offer a solid starting point for making substantial local changes that can move your hometown towards a cheaper and more sustainable future for everyone.
- You can use the search phrase “(your city’s name) + city council meeting times” and show up to a meeting to share how you feel about the city you live in.
- If you’d like to work alongside indigenous communities in your area, you can use this tool to get in contact with and offer your help to communities nearby.
- You can always find and contact your local representative via email or phone call (and sometimes text!) to tell them about the issues they should be addressing since they represent you.
While the task of addressing society’s impact on the environment is undeniably complex and may seem out of reach for solving, it’s through the fight for societal changes like public transportation infrastructure that society will find a way out of its climate crisis. We can do this!
