APTA: Public Transportation’s Contribution to U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reduction

September 26, 2007

Contact:	Mantill Williams (202) 496-4869
	Virginia Miller (202) 496-4816

Background on Transportation and CO2 Emissions

U.S. greenhouse gases (GHGs) from transportation represent 33% of total U.S. GHG emissions
GHG emissions from mobile sources have grown 29% from 1990 to 2004, an average annual compound growth rate of almost 2.0 percent.
Automobiles and light trucks are the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions from mobile sources and together represent more than about 60% of total mobile source greenhouse gas emissions
CO2 represents over 95% of total greenhouse gas emissions from mobile transportation

Transportation Industry’s Contribution to CO2 Emissions Reduction

Nationally, public transportation reduces CO2 emissions by 6.9 million metric tones annually
Public transportation’s reduction of 6.9 million metric tonnes exceeds the transportation CO2 emissions that exist in states such as North Dakota (6.3 million metric tonnes) and Delaware (5.0 million metric tonnes)

Household Actions – the Potential Power of Individual Action

The average American household carbon footprint is 22 metric tonnes per year, compared to a European household of 10 metric tonnes per year. Of this, approximately 38% (One car household) to 55% (two car household) of total household CO2 emissions are transportation related.
A solo commuter switching his or her commute to existing public transportation a single day can reduce their CO2 emissions by 20 pounds or more than 4,800 pounds in a year, about ten percent of a two-car family household’s carbon footprint of 22 metric tonnes per year.
Switching your commute to public transportation reduces a family’s carbon footprint more than replacing five incandescent bulbs to lower wattage compact fluorescent lamps (445 pounds of CO2 per year), or replacing an older refrigerator freezer (335 pounds of CO2 per year.
Eliminating one vehicle and using public transit can reduce a two-car household’s carbon footprint between 25-30%. A two-car household switching all travel to transit can reduce their carbon footprint by up to 55%.

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