What means of transport pollutes the most?

Lately we hear a lot about how much diesel or gasoline cars pollute and the means of transport are in the spotlight. There is also a rumor that motorcycles pollute more than cars, is that true? How much does a bus pollute? What about a train? Which means of transport really pollutes the most? These are the most polluting means of transport in ascending order:

Walking and cycling: the means of transport that pollute the least

Walking and cycling are always the most ecofriendly vehicles. But best of all, they are becoming more and more popular. Its use helps control the amount of air and constitutes a means of movement that does not release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Large cities have already opted to promote walking and bicycles as the main means. For this reason, public bicycle fleets and cycle lanes are already very common in most cities.

The train and rail transport

In this section we include the metro, the tram, the high-speed trains and of course the classic train. Something that we must take into account when talking about how much a train pollutes is the number of people who travel on it. An average train can move more than 150 people with an emission of 14g of CO2 per person.

Bus

To talk about how much the bus pollutes, it is necessary to mention that the use of each of these collective transports replaces an average of 20 passenger cars, thus avoiding the emission of 6,7 million tons of CO2 that would be generated without these vehicles.

The bus emits 68,4 grams of CO2 per passenger and kilometer traveled, which contrasts with the 157,5 grams emitted by a car. That is why most of the countries around us want to promote the use of the bus. Furthermore, it has been shown that the concentration of mobility in public transport solves traffic problems and accidents on the road.

Motorcycle

Something to note about the pollution emitted by motorcycles is that they usually spend between 50 and 70% less time on the road than a car. Motorcycles pollute 72g of CO2 per kilometer and driver. Therefore, within non-collective transport it is the least polluting of all.

Car

The real problem with using the car is not in itself how much it pollutes (104g of CO2 per kilometer and passenger), but that it is not used in a functional way. If we go out into the street and look at the vehicles that pass by, we will realize that most of the cars are driven by a single person. Surely many of these cars start from the same point and go to very close places. This is why carpool applications are becoming increasingly popular.

Of course, a car pollutes a lot and if it is diesel even more. To give us an idea, the cars in the main Spanish cities pollute in a single day more than the largest factory in the country in a whole year. All the cars in the world generate ten times more polluting gases than the total number of active volcanoes on Earth.

Airplane: The answer to which mode of transport pollutes the most

The plane is the most polluting means of transport, with an emission of 285 grams of CO2 per kilometer and passenger. Of course, we are not even going to mention what a private plane emits for one or two passengers, because we would put our hands on our heads.

 

In short, you have to avoid driving, flying and generally traveling alone. Whenever possible, we must choose options such as the train or the bus, and if not, the car full or shared. With this we will be able to considerably reduce our carbon footprint and the impact we cause in the world.