So what are your views? Is there really a transport problem? Do the benefits of motorized transport outweigh the costs? Are there any minor (or prehaps major) changes you personally feel could make our present transport system more sustainable?
First of all there is definetly a cost, as there is a cost to everything that humans do on the planet in some way shape or form. Transport has undoubtedly transformed the way that the world is able to communicate and this enhanced and more in touch global community would not have happened without the introduction of the technological advancement of transport. Being a sustainable development module the focus is clearly on whether or not the issues surrounding the sustainability of this new age of increased advanced transport such as the depletion of fossil fuels and air pollution outweigh the benefits. Although for this question i strongly believe that it would be very difficult for the negative impacts to even come close to the positive impacts that increased technological advancements in the field of transportation have in an analysation of balancing the success against the environmental damage.
I am aware that many people such as our Greg do their best to cut down on pollution to the environment by using friendly means of travel such as walking or going on a bicycle. I agree that measures like this should be taken locally but in the modern day society, meaning locally, regionally, nationally and globally using these means of transport have little effect on the global environment. Even natural events such as volcanoes leave air pollution in the atmosphere that last hundreds of years easily totalling what it would do for one person to be driving every day for the rest of their lives. Walking or cycling after an event like this may seem pointless if you think of the amount of harmful gasses being released into the air by not only geographical events but also from the thousands of planes in the air every day, the gasses that factories are letting out into the air and the amount of cars on the road every day. Even though walking and cycling are obviously much less damaging then travelling by car, even these forms of transport are damaging to the environment as they wear away footpaths. (and the cyclists annoy the drivers by usually deciding that its a good idea to stay in the middle of the road at 5 mph, sorry Greg)
All in argument coming to the conclusion that every human action has a cost to somebody, somewhere or something.
I dont believe that at the moment there is a transport problem, however i believe that the fossil fuels will run out sooner or later but i am certain that technological advancement will find us a solution in the next few years. A hundred years ago we would have found it obsurd that today we would be watching a box in our living rooms giving us colourful pictures of events that are going on all around the world. These days though, we call it a TV and everyone has one. There is no reason why a hundred years from now we cant have transport that runs on water? On air? Who knows, scientists are paid enough, they will invent us something that will combat the environmental problems and solve the so called 'problem' that environmentalist would argue that we have. I think that we all need to chill out and let the inventors be creative and stop our planet from flooding :). In conclusion there is no current transport problem as it has brought our planet forward in the way of transportation of goods, people and communication.
