Sustainability in the Transport Industry

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Sustainability in the Transport Industry

Daniel Thompson

University of California, Berkeley

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Sustainability in the Transport Industry

Introduction

In the past two decades, sustainability has become an essential issue because of the increased climate change, the degradation of ecosystems that pose a risk to humans, and the increased emission of carbon dioxide to the environment. Supporting this sentiment, Mohapatra et al. (2023) contend that the high prevalence of environmental pollution in the 21st century through increased emissions of greenhouse gases encourages global warming that could result in droughts and floods, and negatively impact human health. Thus, sustainability in business enterprises is important to curb the consequences associated with climate change and promote economic growth, environmental protection, and social inclusion. Sustainability, as Sharma (2020) describes, encompasses any development that meets the needs of the current society without jeopardizing the ability of future communities to fulfill their needs. In the transportation industry, sustainability, particularly environmental sustainability, illuminates business developments that protect natural resources, thus encouraging environmental conservation for future generations. This report explores the environmental sustainability of the transportation industry by presenting the unsustainable and sustainable practices.

Unsustainable Practices in the Industry

The transportation industry exhibits various unsustainable environmental practices linked to carbon emissions. Consistent with this argument, Din et al. (2023) acknowledge that road transportation through internal combustion engine vehicles promotes increased environmental pollution due to the use of fossil fuels. According to Din et al. (2023), Kene et al. (2021) attest that the road transport sector accounts for over 91% of petroleum consumption, contributing significantly to global climate deterioration that is attributed to the consumption of fossil fuels.

The depletion of non-renewable resources due to internal combustion engine vehicles is another unsustainable practice in the road transport industry. Agreeing with this viewpoint, Mebarki et al. (2020) propound that the increased rate of depleting non-renewable energies such as oil, carbon, and gas by non-electric vehicles surpasses the time of regeneration. This argument is evident in Figure 1 below. Therefore, there is an urgent need to integrate electric vehicles to minimize the unsustainable practices witnessed in the transport sector.

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Figure 1: Depletion of Oil Resources

Sustainable Practices in the Industry

One of the environmental sustainability practices adopted by the transportation industry includes introducing electric vehicles, which ensure eco-friendly production activities, limiting environmental degradation. Coherent with this assertion, Nanjundaswamy et al. (2023) elaborate that the shift to electric vehicles has improved the environmental sustainability of the transport industry because these alternative fuel vehicles curb carbon emissions and overreliance on fossil fuels. In tune with Nanjundaswamy et al. (2023), Sun et al. (2022) ascertain that electric vehicles promote environmental sustainability of the transportation industry by providing eco-friendly transport options, thus refining air quality, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and preventing health hazards. Mebarki et al. (2020) further postulate that the transport industry consumes 60% of the total oil produced globally, which encourages pollution due to the emission of greenhouse gases by non-electric vehicles. Hence, the presence of electric vehicles promotes environmental sustainability due to not using oil as fuel. The direct effects of environmental pollution include compromised health of car users, especially during heavy traffic. Therefore, the introduction of electric vehicles is a feasible alternative to promote environmental sustainability as these vehicles limit carbon emissions to the environment.

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The transportation industry encourages a culture of sustainable, low-carbon operation as an essential concept in active social responsibility, thus prioritizing environmental sustainability. In accordance with this sentiment, Logan et al. (2020) stipulate that the transport industry is encouraging the transition from conventionally fueled vehicles to electric and hydrogen buses. Likewise, Fang et al. (2022) clarify that most enterprises in the transportation industry direct their economic and resource investments to carbon emission reduction by developing environmentally friendly policies within the organizational culture. Moreover, Yuan and Cao (2022) illuminate that through corporate social responsibility, the transport sector actively generates green strategies to promote a culture of green product development and innovation. All-inclusive, an environmentally friendly culture is an efficient way to encourage corporate values that improve employees’ health by emphasizing better air quality and limiting exposure to carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

Conclusion

In summary, sustainability, particularly environmental sustainability, in the transport industry is a predominant subject currently due to the rapid climate change and global warming, which are attributed to the carbon emissions by non-electric vehicles. Unsustainable practices in the transport industry include environmental pollution associated with internal combustion engine vehicles and the increased depletion of non-renewable resources such as oil, carbon, and gas, which might lead to the exhaustion of these resources in future generations. Sustainable practices identified include the innovation of electric vehicles that limit environmental pollution and integrating a green culture as a central component of corporate social responsibility. In predicting the extent of environmental sustainability of the transport industry, this sector will be highly sustainable in the future due to potential policies that encourage financial incentives for enterprises that invest in the electric vehicle value chain. Also, the transport industry is likely to become more sustainable due to the possible tax credits that reduce the high costs of electric vehicles, and the progressive green-based innovations attributed to the advanced technology. Finally, as a result of promoting green culture, the transportation industry’s environmental sustainability will be strengthened by complying with environmental regulations.

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References

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