In 2020, the United States of America was only second to China in the most carbon emissions in the world. The U.S. emits around twice the amount of carbon than India, a country of 1.4 billion. Now, the question is, how can we, as a country with a substantially smaller population than these countries, have such a large carbon emission, and what can we do to reduce it? What can we do to make a larger impact on our carbon footprint at a smaller cost?
I’m grateful that my family loves to travel, and the more I think about it, I’ve explored so many different countries throughout the past few years. It’s fascinating to be able to experience trends, norms, and cultures that are unfamiliar to me. Something that stood out to me recently is the connectivity countries have through their train and metro systems and how friendly these systems are to the environment, citizens, and tourists. For example, this past summer, my family took a trip to Switzerland, and without fail, we would use the train or metro every day. Not only was this convenient and efficient, but it was also so much more environmentally friendly. One way this is evident is in the amount of carbon Switzerland emits (35.3 metric tons) compared to the U.S. (4535.42 metric tons).
As of now train systems in the U.S. include BART, Acela, Amtrak, the New York City Subway, and around 25 more. Most of these systems are located in larger cities, such as New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., and have a decent annual ridership. However, these systems can be improved in ways of accessibility and connectivity to all parts of cities to achieve maximum ridership.
Even with the metro rail, also a substitute for cars, we failed to create a system that is extensive enough. For example, I live in Houston, which does have a somewhat used metro system that consists of three lines covering the main portions of the city. But Houston is 655 square miles in size, about 200 square miles larger than the size of New York City which has 36 lines. Surely, three lines couldn’t cover the entirety of Houston?
While I’ve never used the Houston metro, my family and I used the Zurich metro system, called the ZVV, every day. We stayed in an Airbnb which was further away from the main city, but either way, there were about three lines close to the apartment, which could take us to the central train station. No matter where we were in the city, there were always multiple lines at a close distance. I decided to do some research and found that the Zurich ZVV system has 15 lines for a city that is around 34 square miles in all. Comparing this to Houston, Zurich had five times the metro lines, while also being around 20 times smaller than Houston. This goes to show that even while we have metro systems, they are very disconnected and inaccessible for many neighborhoods around Houston.
It’s clear that if we reduce our transportation-related carbon emissions, pollution will not vanish into thin air, but transportation does take up 28 percent of 2021 greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., meaning it generates one of the largest portions of emissions. Even in Andover, for boarders who would like to go to Boston, there is a train that leaves every two hours, taking a little under an hour for the commute. Personally, I have not been able to take a trip to Boston during my Andover experience so far, but I also was not aware that there was a train station just ten minutes away from my dorm. I believe many Andover students know about this but do not plan to use it anytime soon.
First, as a country, we need to advocate for more connected train and metro stations in our local cities to increase train ridership. We should also encourage and spread awareness to people who have access to trains or metros to invest in a monthly plan or pass. This is vital because many people who have train stations near them do not even know of the convenience and impact that taking the train could have. In fact, one of my friends who lives in New Jersey just discovered that there is a train that can take her from Andover to New Jersey for just thirty dollars. By increasing train ridership, our carbon footprint will decrease, in turn mitigating the effects of climate change and creating a healthier world for us to live in.
So maybe, next time you get the urge to take a day trip to Boston to experience the city, decide to catch a train to be both environmentally friendly and gain a new experience.
