Impacts of Road Transportation on Emissions, Air Quality, and Public Health

Present-day road transportation is largely fueled by traditional fossil fuels and has unintended adverse effects through emissions of greenhouse gases, anthropogenic heat, and air pollutants, thereby affecting heat, air quality and public health. A thorough assessment of current environmental and health burdens helps clarify how future transport strategies could improve outcomes. Here, four case studies are presented - greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, anthropogenic heat emissions in Chicago (US), air pollutant emissions in Indian megacities, and air pollutant concentrations and associated health burden in the West Midlands (a major metropolitan area in the UK). By examining diverse regions worldwide, this chapter highlights that while mitigating road transportation impacts is a global challenge, its influence on emissions, air quality, heat waves, and public health is shaped uniquely by regional challenges and policy outcomes, and so addressing this requires region-specific targeted interventions.