For years experts have been warning about the devastating effects of climate change. While these same experts warned that climate change was happening now, most people weren’t afraid of the consequences because they didn’t expect them to start happening so soon.
A recent study shows that climate change could affect food production and raise food prices. The study said that by 2050, the prices of many vegetables, fruits and grains could be much higher than what they are now.
Another recent report on climate change is showing that it could affect transportation and the cost of travel as well.
According to the study, transportation could be both a cause and a casualty of climate change.
“The transport sector relies overwhelmingly on oil,” Angie Farrag-Thibault, a BSR associate director and a lead author of the report, said in a statement Monday. “Without action, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation will continue to rise. Fortunately, this report points to a large number of options for reducing emissions.”
The report says that climate change will affect all types of transportation, including planes, trains, ships and automobiles.
If the transportation industry cannot reduce and control their emissions, the price of travel will go up significantly.
Experts say that the best way to cut back on emissions is to cut back on travel in general. Walking, biking and public transportation are just a few ways people can help reduce travel emissions.
“One key change in terms of the way people around the world live is in city design,” one expert said. “A shift in city design that causes more densely populated cities and hence more use of public transport is a really key way to create a better quality of life and lower carbon emissions per person.”
“Dense cities have a much smaller carbon footprint than sprawling ones because of the modes of transport they require. Focusing on making transportation more energy efficient and encouraging people to use modes of transport that emit less carbon dioxide is nearly as important as addressing the carbon emissions of the electric power sector,” the expert added.
Do you think climate change will cause transportation costs to rise?
Image via Wikimedia Commons