Transport and sustainability

For thousands of years, people have found clever ways to make travel quicker and easier.

But some of these ways of travelling are damaging our planet.

In this article you can learn:

• Why some forms of transport damage the environment
• What we can do to make a positive change
• What the benefits and challenges ahead are

This resource is suitable for transport and sustainability topics for primary school learners.

In this video, you can learn about different kinds of transport and how sustainable they are.

We have invented bikes, cars, boats, planes, helicopters, trains and lots of other ways to move us from one place to another quickly. While they make life more convenient, many of these are fuelled by petrol or diesel, which come from non-renewable fossil fuels.

This is a problem because fossil fuels release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which contributes to global heating and climate change. Burning them also causes pollution that is bad for our health.

Learn more about fossil fuels and what we use them for here: Fossil fuels

No. Not all forms of transport are equally bad for the environment.

• Planes and petrol or diesel cars release the most carbon emissions. Planes allow you to travel long distances quickly but use a lot of fuel. Cars produce the most emissions of any transport because there are so many of them and they are used so often. Between cars, lorries, buses and motorbikes, road transport is responsible for nearly 75% of all transport emissions.

• Public transport is a more environmentally-friendly way of travelling. Most buses run on fossil fuels but when they carry more passengers in one go, they produce less emissions per person. Trains produce less carbon per person too. Some run on electricity, which can be generated from renewable energy without releasing carbon emission.

• Bikes and scooters are powered by people. We get our energy from food, not fossil fuels. These ways of travelling (as well as walking) are the least harmful for the environment because they produce the least carbon dioxide. They're also good for you because they are exercise.

Car owners can cut down their impact in lots of ways.

• Leave the car at home - Making shorter journeys by foot, bus or bike will reduce your impact on the planet and cut local air pollution.
• Car share - Lots of people travel alone in their car, or with only one passenger. Sharing the drive with someone who is going to the same place can cut emissions by half. One car on the road is better than two!
• Switch to an electric car - Electric cars don't produce carbon emissions or local air pollution themselves. If they are charged with electricity from renewable sources, that cuts down on emissions too. Electric cars can be expensive to buy but they are cheaper to run. Charging them at home might not be easy if you live in a busy area or a flat.

Some of the things we buy have to travel a long way by boat or plane to get to us, producing a lot of carbon emissions.

When you buy food, toys or clothes, look out for locally produced items that haven't had to travel across the world to get to you. This will reduce your impact on the environment.

Learn about food miles and how our food travels around to get on our plate: Sustainable food

Benefits of transport

• Most forms of transport are quick and easy and take us where we want to go.
• Different types of transport are needed to take people long distances where walking and other modes of transport would not work.
• Large passenger vehicles such as buses and trains can carry larger numbers of passengers reducing the amount of cars on the road.
• Some modes of transport, such as cycling and scooting have no impact on the environment and a physical activity that is good for our health.
• New technologies have meant that electric cars are now more available and impact less on the environment.

Challenges of transport

• Most vehicles are fuelled by non-renewable sources of energy that harm the environment.
• Cars and other vehicles emit harmful carbon emissions that lead to global warming.
• Electric cars are more expensive to buy than cars that run on petrol and diesel.
• Public transport is more environmentally-friendly than cars but your travel needs to fit with a timetable and bus stops and train stations might not be close to where you want to go.

Fossil fuels - Coal, oil and gas are the three fossil fuels – these are our non-renewable energy sources. They are called fossil fuels because they are made from dead animals and plants. These animals and plants are compressed underground over millions of years and they eventually turn into fossil fuels.

Non-renewable energy - Natural energy resources that cannot be replaced after they are used. There is a fixed amount of them on Earth. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are all non-renewable resources.

Greenhouse gases - Gases in the atmosphere that trap heat. Although they are needed to keep Earth warm enough for life to exist, there is now too much of them, contributing to climate change. Carbon Dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases.

Carbon dioxide - A natural gas that is all around us. It is essential for life on Earth. For example, animals (including humans) breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, while plants do the opposite. But carbon dioxide is also created when fossil fuels are burned. This is a problem because there is now too much of it in the atmosphere. As a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is the main cause of global heating and therefore climate change.

Global warming - The increase in the Earth's average temperature, largely due to the greenhouse gases released into the environment when people burn fossil fuels.

Climate change - This is the long-term change in weather patterns (temperature, wind, rainfall etc.) on Earth, including its side-effects, for example increased drought and flooding.

Renewable energy - A source of energy that does not run out and is sustainable. The power of the sun, wind and water can be harnessed and used to generate energy through a wide range of technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines and wave and tidal machines.

Carbon emissions - The release of carbon in to the earth’s atmosphere which contributes to climate change.

Track your travel

• Make a table to keep note of your different types of transport used in a week. Note how many times you use a car, bus, train, bike, scooter or walking.
• Talk to your adults to see whether you can swap out any short car journeys you make for walking, scooting or cycling. For example, your journey to school, dance club or football training.