Transportation
Transportation By 2017, approximately 160,000 more cars will be competing for space on <strong>Silicon</strong> <strong>Valley</strong>’s roads-the equivalent of a lane of cars, lined up bumper to bumper, from San Jose to San Diego. And that’s just counting cars owned by <strong>Silicon</strong> <strong>Valley</strong> residents. Thousands more will be pouring over the Pacheco and Altamont passes, or chugging up Hwy 101 from the Monterey Bay Area, to jobs in <strong>Silicon</strong> <strong>Valley</strong>. That increase demonstrates the challenge <strong>Silicon</strong> <strong>Valley</strong>-and indeed all of the high tech regions in the nation-face. As our population, the ratio of car ownership, and commute distances increase, congestion on our roadways is rising. All of the nation’s top high tech regions currently endure “undesirable” highway congestion levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. These conditions erode our quality of life. But the situation poses another less visible, but grave, threat. The more we drive, the more greenhouse gases we generate-emissions that are dramatically and rapidly changing the climate of our planet. Transportation & Greenhouse Gases Scientists generally agree that the Earth’s temperature is rising and human activities are accelerating that trend. Human-generated greenhouse gases-pollutants such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide that trap the Earth’s heat, are increasing at a faster rate than any period over the last several thousand years. The earth has been getting markedly warmer since the late 19th century, evidenced by, among other things, melting glaciers, decreased snow pack in the Sierra Nevada and other mountain ranges, and increasing drought in the American Recommended Strategies to Reach California 2020 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goal Other Transportation Strategies: Transit, Biofuels, Efficient Land Use, Technology, Fees, Truck Improvements (anti-idling, Efficiency, etc.), Other. Note: 2020 Emissions Goal=California 1990 GHG Emissions level. Source: Climate Action Team. Southwest. But the most rapid changes have occurred within the last two decades. According to the California Climate Action Team, that trend is expected to escalate in the 21st century due in large part to as yet unrealized warming from climate change pollutants already in the atmosphere-pollutants generated by burning coal, oil, and natural gas and clearcutting forests to make way for agriculture and other human activities. While there is some disagreement about the speed at which the earth is warming and the specific changes it will trigger, there is wide concurrence that if we continue on our current trajectory there will be severe consequences. According to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), California will likely experience more weather extremes (stronger and more frequent storms, flooding and heat waves), reduced water supply due to snowpack melt, extensive coastal damage due to rising sea levels, more forest fires and more respiratory illness. Recognizing the threat, in 2005 Governor Schwarzenegger established ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for California. Those reductions are being pursued through a variety of means; including replanting forests, increasing the energy efficiency of appliances and utilizing biogas digesters to reduce methane emissions from farms and landfills. But transportation offers the opportunity for the biggest reductions. Reducing Vehicle Emissions Passenger vehicles, freight, rail and aviation account for more than 40% of California’s greenhouse gas emissions. Passenger vehicle emissions comprise two-thirds of that total. What is more, vehicle emissions are one of the fastest growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Those statistics spurred California to adopt strict emission standards for new passenger vehicles in 2004-the first in the nation. The regulations issued by CARB require automakers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of vehicles sold in the state by 30 percent by 2016, starting with the 2009 model year. Since then, 10 other states have followed California’s lead, including three states that are home to high tech regions–Massachusetts, Washington and Oregon. The nation’s major automakers sued to overturn the regulation arguing that the standard is so severe it would drive up prices and cripple new-car sales. The regulation is in limbo until the suit is resolved. But record high gas prices have created a demand for more fuel efficient vehicles-which also have lower emissions. 14