Transport
Transport helps us move around and transfer goods from where they are produced to where they are sold. Transport is essential for a modern economy, but the speed at which it is developing in most countries is having serious problems on both people and the environment.
Currently, the growth in transport is not sustainable. There are now too many cars on the available roads, which is leading to road congestion. Furthermore, the large number of cars and other road vehicles are now a major source of air pollution, contributing to poor air quality and global warming.
Modern cars are now much cleaner and more fuel efficient than older ones. All new cars have engines fitted with catalytic converters which take out a lot of the harmful gases in a car's exhaust. In the future, cleaner fuels for cars will become more widely available. Unfortunately, these improvements are not reducing air pollution much further because of the fast increase in the number of cars on the roads. However, there are a number of other options which will help transport to become more sustainable.
The first thing we might all consider is not using our cars. Many journeys that are made are very short and could be made by cycling or walking if it is safe to do so. Where longer journeys are necessary, it may be possible to use public transport, for example trains, trams or buses. If there is none, then car sharing provides a good way to reduce the amount of fuel used, and to reduce pollution.
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