Chapter Eleven

Future Trends

A number of important events are unfolding locally and worldwide that will influence the direction transportation takes and how it affects the average driver. These events include:

• Hostilities and instability in the Middle East
• Worldwide greenhouse effect
• Air pollution
• Water pollution
• Ground pollution
• Dwindling worldwide oil reserves
• Dwindling U.S. oil reserves
• Rising fuel prices
• Rising cost of owning/operating cars
• Need for U.S. energy policy
• Emerging reduce-reuse-recycle attitude
• Dangerously high debt of U.S. and other countries
• Overpopulation

The above events are shaping a future - where, in terms of transportation, the following is needed:

• Effective U.S. energy policy
• Higher fuel efficiency cars
• Alternate clean fuels
• Pollution free cars
• Decentralized work - to reduce commuting distances
• Emergence of electric cars
• Limits on number of polluting vehicles used
• Efficient mass transportation systems for people/freight
• Energy conservation on a personal level
• Increased use of existing non-polluting forms of transportation

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