Climate change is perhaps the biggest challenge we face this century.  While natural cycles of warming and cooling characterize Earth’s history, human activities have heightened recent warming.  Our overuse of fossil fuels, such as oil, are a significant source of this problem.   Reducing our oil usage in transportation will not only begin to address global warming, but lead to more diverse energy use.  WILMAPCO has been considering these issues for some time.

Background

The greenhouse effect is a result of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide and methane, trapping the sun’s energy in our atmosphere rather than allowing it to escape into space.   Levels of GHGs have intensified the greenhouse effect beyond what can be attributed to natural cycles, leading to increases in average global temperatures. View this BBC Guide for some illustrations.

Alterations in weather patterns resulting  from the greenhouse effect are known as climate change.  While tough to predict, serious global consequences can result from this change.  Visit the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change website for details.

Fossil fuels are a major source of GHGs.  Our oil-dependent transportation system accounted for some 27% of GHG emissions in the U.S. in 2017.

Reducing our oil dependence and improving transportation’s energy efficiency has long been part of our Regional Transportation Plan’s policy.

Current Efforts

We are teaming up with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) and the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO) to create climate action plans for the Philadelphia region. Please follow this link for more information and to get involved.

We have also been a national leader in identifying the impacts of Sea Level Rise on our transportation system.  Please follow this link for more information.

Contact

To learn more about WILMAPCO’s efforts in this area, please contact Bill Swiatek: bswiatek@wilmapco.org.