The future of mobility: these are the most sensible alternatives to having your own car

The future of mobility: these are the most sensible alternatives to having your own car

(Image: iStock, sergeyryzhov)

Our planet is not doing well at all. The culprit is the current climate crisis, which is causing the earth to warm up and we are struggling with extreme weather conditions everywhere in Germany and around the world. If we don’t do anything about climate change, science assumes that heat waves and storms will continue to increase in the years to come. A rethink should take place, especially when it comes to mobility, after all, traffic on the roads is a very big factor: around a fifth of all greenhouse emissions in Germany come from the transport sector. For this reason, alternatives must be found for the future.

Mobility must become more climate-friendly

It is really difficult, because we all basically know what to do: We have to stand back in various areas in order to protect the climate. However, taking back does not necessarily mean that we have to give up in a big way. It is just a matter of finding alternatives. This also applies to the subject of mobility, for example.

According to Verkehrsclub Deutschland eV, mobility in Germany and of course the rest of the world must become more climate-friendly. As mentioned earlier, comes from one fifth of all greenhouse gas emissions in Germany from traffic, i.e. the exhaust gases from cars, buses and trucks.

You don’t have to have your own car

In many cases, people don’t necessarily have to own their own car. As statistics from the Federal Environment Ministry show. Overall, therefore between 40 and 50 percent of all trips less than five kilometers by car. In many cases, these routes could easily be covered with the help of other means of transport.

That is why the question is probably justified as to whether or not it is really necessary to have your own car these days. So that the question can be answered with “no”, more action on the part of politics is probably necessary to make these alternatives more attractive for citizens.

Because anyone who lives in the country today can hardly do without a car because there is a lack of alternatives – above all public transport.

If so electrically?

A sensible alternative could be to get away from internal combustion engines, for example with an electric car. They are considered to be more environmentally and climate-friendly than vehicles with combustion engines. However, this is only the case if the electricity itself comes from renewable energies such as wind or photovoltaics.

The federal government wants to promote the topic of electromobility quickly. It already offers a lot of incentives for this, such as special parking spaces or reduced parking fees. By 2030, the e-cars should have fully established themselves on the market as planned.

Bike or on foot

However, an electric car is not absolutely necessary for sustainable mobility. Walking or cycling is particularly environmentally friendly. Not a single gram of CO2 secreted into the air. Moving is practically climate-neutral. E-bikes or pedelecs are suitable for longer distances.

They have experienced a real boom in recent years and are ideally suited for uncomplicated mobility within a radius of 20 to 30 kilometers.

The advantage of cycling and running is that not only is it relieved of the burden on the environment, but you are also doing something for your own health at the same time. The disadvantage, however, is that you may arrive at your destination sweaty.

Electric scooters as an innovative form of mobility

The new ones are also very sustainable because they are electric Electric kick scooter for environmentally friendly mobilitythat you see especially darting around in the big cities. They are an ideal alternative to cars or bicycles and are just as climate-friendly. This is because no exhaust gases are released into the air, and that at speeds of up to 25 km / h.

In contrast to bicycles or e-bikes, however, these scooters are significantly more space-saving. They can be folded up easily and then transported free of charge by bus or train. They are easily charged at home using a normal socket. In combination with bus or train, they offer a good alternative to having your own car.

Use public transport

Public transport, i.e. bus and train, should be the means of choice, especially for further trips. In contrast to the car, the emission of CO2 significantly lower in public transport. While at the car an average of around 472 kilograms of the greenhouse gas per year are released into the air, it is less than half for buses and trains. So at least in terms of air conditioning, it is worthwhile to use public transport wherever possible.

Share mobility

Sharing is also a big aspect of the future of mobility. In particular, so-called car sharing is likely to become more and more important. The aim is to use cars as effectively as possible, because most of the time the vehicles only stand around in the driveway. It’s different with car sharing. A car can up to 20 private vehicles substitute. Different providers in larger cities make it possible.

Conclusion

There are many ways in which each of us can do something for the climate through our own mobility behavior. Above all, doing without your own car is a very sustainable solution. However, mobility does not have to be foregone here. There are a lot of alternative ways of getting around. Nevertheless, politics still has a lot to do in this area.

11/26/2021

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