Transportation accounts for the largest share of carbon emissions in the U.S., and those emissions are rising, even as emissions have decreased in other sectors. Emissions have risen despite increases in fuel economy standards and the beginning of electric vehicle deployment.

The vast majority of those emissions—83 percent—come from the cars and trucks that people drive to the grocery store or school or that deliver our Amazon orders. Between 1990-2017, we saw an 18 percent increase in overall fleet fuel efficiency brought on by the implementation of CAFE standards. But even as the fleet overall got far more efficient, emissions still rose 22 percent over the same time period. Our increased driving overwhelmed all of those improvements in fuel efficiency.

These particles are small enough to get deep inside the lungs and cause cardiovascular disease, asthma, diabetes, and other health problems. Pollution from PM2.5 is responsible for approximately 3.15 million annual premature deaths worldwide. In a recent study that mapped PM2.5 exposure from vehicles, the Union of Concerned Scientists found that people of color, more likely to live near highways and other busy roadways, are exposed to significantly higher levels of PM2.5 than white Americans.

Our current approach to transportation is not only causing health issues—it presents a major barrier to accessing health care. Before the pandemic, approximately 3.6 million people living in the U.S. missed or delayed essential, non-emergency medical care because of transportation barriers. A number of studies have shown chronically ill residents, non-white residents, women, the elderly, and low-income individuals face the largest transportation burden.