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Transportation

Transport or transportation is the movement of people, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles and operations. Transport is important because it enables trade between people, which is essential for the development of civilizations. More...

Hidden costs of energy: Unpriced consequences of energy production and use

Source: JournalistsResource.org

In economics, the word externality refers to costs or benefits of a good or service not reflected in its price. For example, making gasoline requires petroleum extraction, transportation, and refinement; driving creates pollution, noise and congestion.  These in turn cause health and environmental damage.

Smoothing effect of carpool lanes on freeway bottlenecks

Source: JournalistsResource.org

High-occupancy vehicle lanes are intended to both speed traffic and improve air quality. This is done by dedicating a lane to cars with two or more occupants, thus reducing the number of vehicles traveling on the road. This both speeds traffic flows and reduces pollution. Some have argued, however, that if underutilized, such lanes can create congestion.

Policy tools for reducing automotive congestion and emissions

Source: JournalistsResource.org

Automotive transportation, one of the largest sectors of the U.S. economy, has numerous societal benefits but also many downsides — pollution, fatalities, congestion. Getting the price individuals pay for driving to reflect its true cost to society is one of the most significant challenges of public policy.

U.S. EPA: Energy-efficiency limits by housing location, type

Source: JournalistsResource.org

In the quest for increased energy efficiency and smaller carbon footprints, many individuals are now making more conscious consumer choices, looking for greener alternatives in everything from household appliances to hybrid vehicles. However, the basic structure of homes, as well as the areas in which they were built, may represent deep challenges to achieving real cuts in personal and family energy consumption.