As of 2017, transportation has become the leading source of greenhouse gas pollution across all US sectors. Meanwhile, Americans suffer from ever-increasing traffic congestion, infrastructural decay, and major deficiencies in how we move people and goods around. The next decade will require bold and rapid solutions to transform the sector, both for the sake of our climate and our daily livelihoods.
The Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), a regional cap-and-invest program for transportation emissions, has emerged as the most promising new programs to tackle both GHG emissions and transportation woes in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. However, the effectiveness of the program will depend on how it is designed and implemented in the coming year.
What exactly is TCI? What does the program mean for climate and transportation policy in the region? What role can the pivotal relationship between transportation and climate will play in the coming decade to substantially reduce emissions by 2030?