The amount of carbon emitted from people driving to and from suburbs is actually a small amount compared to the real big polluters. It makes no sense to target such a giant restructuring of society for so little gain.
from the Global Climate Action Summit 2018, convened by CA Gov Jerry Brown:
Every 5 weeks, China adds a fleet of electric buses equivalent to the entire London bus fleet – 9500 buses. Technologies are now market ready, societally acceptable and economically attractive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 51% by 2030, through electric vehicles, mass transit and adapting the global shipping fleet. A complete global and technological shift to electric vehicles now looks very likely and, given recent announcements from cities, countries and car manufacturers, is possible between 2020 and 2030. However, the transformation will slow dramatically without strong national and city policies, for example setting target dates to ban internal combustion engines.
Simply moving cargo, the lifeblood of our economy, across the oceans burns hundreds of tons of fuel oil - releasing more (and more varied) pollutants into the atmosphere and oceans. One ship, by some reports, emits as many emissions as some 50 million (or more) cars. And there are well over 9,000 on the ocean.
https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/zeppelins-stopped-flyin...
> As proposed in a recent scientific paper, the new airships would be 10 times bigger than the 800-foot Hindenburg — more than five times as long as the Empire State Building is tall
Cargo ships pollute more SO2 and NO2 than personal automobiles. Those two gases cause acid rain. Acid rain is a problem, yes.
They pollute a lot less CO2, though, which is the gas that is actually going to kill us if we don't stop emitting it at the rates we emit it today.
A cargo ship is the most efficient form of transport, in terms of CO2/kg/km.
A personal automobile is the least efficient.