Most scientists, researchers, and even politicians agree that global warming is an existing threat to civilization and the planet. Greenhouse gasses, the byproduct of automobiles, fossil-fuel-burning power plants, and other sources are accused of being the main culprit. For years, we've been urged to choose mass transit as an alternative to wastefully commuting alone in a car. Interestingly, even though mass transit appears to be the solution to the quagmire, roads, rails, and airports are all highly vulnerable to the effects of global warming.
Just like a highly virulent pathogen, global warming is taking its greatest toll on the few methods we use to quell its fury. Increased precipitation, temperatures, flooding, and rising sea levels are all side effects of heightened average temperatures.
The American rail system, once highly privatized, but now more quasi-governmental, is actually a highly efficient means of travel. With ever-rising gas prices and subsequently higher air fares, rail transport is undergoing a revitalization of ticket sales unseen since the early 1900s. The secret to the locomotive's efficiency is its relatively low maintenance requirements and low rolling friction. Rail cars are perched upon solid steel wheels that ride on steel rails; while traction is somewhat of an issue when starting and stopping, trains can travel very far distances with minimum power input because they realize few losses to rolling friction.
From a maintenance standpoint, diesel locomotives work by powering large onboard generators, which in turn power independent electric motors for each wheel. Car engines, on the other hand, directly power the wheels through a complicated transmission system. By eliminating the transmission, diesel engines are mechanically less complex and less prone to failure; again, keeping costs low and further threats to the environment at a minimum.
Unfortunately, rising sea levels and greater precipitation put rails at risk for corrosion and degradation of their foundations. Furthermore, flooding slows all rail movement and puts passengers and cargo in danger of derailment.
Traditionally, bus lines and other road-dwelling mass transit devices were efficient because they transported larger numbers of people per mile despite their lower gas mileage. Today, however, many busses are relying on either electricity or alternative fuels such as ethanol, which burn much cleaner and don't tap into our dwindling supply of fossil fuels.
Just like the rail system, roads are not immune to degradation from precipitation and flooding, which can cause all traffic to come to a halt. A recently released National Research Council (NRC) report titled, "Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Transport," estimates that 60,000 miles of coastal highway are already regularly being flooded.
While jet airliners consume massive amounts of fuel, the gas turbine engine is one of the most efficient forms of internal combustion engines today. Planes can transport large numbers of people great distances in short amounts of time. The greater the number of people moved per unit of distance and fuel, the more efficient the method of transportation.
Global warming is responsible for intensified meteorological effects including larger and more numerous hurricanes, heat waves, thawing arctic permafrost, and other serious consequences. While these outcomes seem remote and indirectly effectual, hurricanes delay or stop air travel. Heat waves and warming polar regions are causing more flooding, which destroys landing strips and other airport infrastructure.
Besides global warming itself, one of the main problems identified by officials is that our transportation systems were designed based on historical weather data - the way the weather has behaved for hundreds of years. Before global warming was even conceptualized, no one could have anticipated its harmful effects on what yesteryear's engineers so carefully designed. Hopefully, we've recognized the problems soon enough to make a change and continue to battle global warming.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!