HSR Affirmative
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: Car crashes are at a peak now, killing 30,000 Americans every year. Citations: AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety a government institute responsible for traffic safety "Distracted Driving" June 26, 2012 AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety is the publisher http://www.aaafoundation.org/multimedia/Distracteddriving.cfm
"Distracted driving contributes to up to 8,000 crashes every single day - the facts speak for themselves. More than one million people have died in car crashes over the past 25 years in the U.S., with 33,788 lives lost in 2010 alone. Drivers spend more than half their time behind the wheel engaged in distracted behavior. Using a cell phone while driving quadruples your risk of crashing. Eating, smoking, adjusting music or rubbernecking while driving can be just as dangerous as texting, emailing or talking on a cell phone. Passengers are one of the most frequently reported causes of distraction, with young children being four times more distracting than adults and infants being eight times more distracting. A majority of drivers - 94% - agree that texting or emailing while driving is unacceptable and 87% support laws against reading."
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: HSR is the only option to reduce oil dependency. Failure to shift away from oil results in economic collapse and resource wars Source: Perl, 11/19/2011 (Anthony - professor of Urban Studies and Political Science at Simon Fraser University, How Green is High-Speed Rail, CNN, p. http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/18/world/how-green-is-hsr/index.html)
. In a world where 95% of motorized mobility is currently fueled by oil, high-speed rail offers a proven means of reducing dependence on this increasingly problematic energy source. . Grid-connected traction offers the only realistic option for significantly reducing oil use in transportation over the next 10 years. If such a shift does not begin during this decade, the risk of a global economic collapse and/or geo-political conflict over the world's remaining oil reserves would become dangerously elevated. Making a significant dent in transportation's oil addiction within 10 years is sooner than fuel cells, biofuels, battery-electric vehicles and other alternative energy technologies will be ready to deliver change. Biofuels that could power aircraft now cost hundreds of dollars per gallon to produce. Batteries that a big enough charge to power vehicles between cities are still too big and expensive to make electric cars and buses affordable. But grid-connected electric trains have been operating at scale and across continents for over a century
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: First, car and air systems are overburdened, costing the economy 156 billion dollars each year Source: Kunz '11 [Andy, president and CEO of the U.S. High Speed Rail Association, he has more than three decades of experience in projects related to urban planning, community design, and sustainability. Yale Environment 360, March 10, 2011. http://e360.yale.edu/feature/us_high-speed_rail_time_to_hop_aboard_or_be_left_behind/2378/]
A national high-speed rail system would generate millions of jobs; help revive the country's manufacturing sector by creating a new industry producing the trains, steel, and related components; alleviate pressure on a crumbling transportation infrastructure; and lessen the ever-worsening congestion on America's highways and at its airports, where delays cause an estimated $156 billion in losses to the U.S. economy annually.
Voting Issue: Solvency Claim: Investment in HSR will jumpstart the economy and provides the clearest and fastest way to long-term economic growth Citations: Williams 11 (Mantil is a Writer and researcher for the APTA, or American Public Transportation Association. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit international association of 1,500 public and private member organizations, engaged in the areas of bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne services, and intercity and high-speed passenger rail "Federal Investment in High-Speed Rail Could Spur 1.3 Million Jobs " http://www.apta.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/2011/Pages/110406_HSR_Business.aspx
APTA) released a report detailing the enormous impact high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects will have in driving job development, while also rebuilding America's manufacturing sector and generating billions of dollars in business sales. investments in high-speed and intercity rail will have many direct and indirect benefits. nvestment can result in supporting and creating more than 1.3 million jobs. This federal investment will be the catalyst for attracting state, local and private capital which will result in the support and creation of even more jobs. According to this new report, investments in building a 21st century rail system will not only lead to a large increase in construction jobs, but to the sustainable, long-term growth of new manufacturing and service jobs across the country. "It is evident that investing in high-speed and intercity rail projects presents one of the clearest and fastest ways to create green, American jobs and spur long-term economic growth," said APTA President William Millar. for each $1 billion invested in high-speed rail projects, the analysis predicts the support and creation of 24,000 jobs. In addition to the thousands of new construction jobs, investments in high-speed rail will jumpstart the U.S. economy. The Economic Development Research Group for the U.S. Conference of Mayors studied the business impact of high-speed rail investment in different urban regions. For example, in Los Angeles, CA, high-speed rail investment generates $7.6 billion in business sales and $6.1 billion in Chicago, IL. "Federal high-speed rail investment is a strong driver in getting private companies to invest," said Kevin McFall, Senior Vice President at Stacy and Witbeck Inc., a leading public transit construction firm. "This program can be a shot in the arm for the manufacturing industry. These high-speed rail projects will give us the opportunity to put people to work building the rail infrastructure this country desperately needs."
Voting Issue: Solvency Claim: HSR is the single most powerful thing we can do to get the U.S. off oil - combination of renewable sources can be used for power Citations: USHSR NO DATE (The US High Speed Rail Association is the leading company in the study of HSR. "Energy Security" http://www.ushsr.com/benefits/energysecurity.html)
Building an electrically-powered national high speed rail network across America is the single most powerful thing we can do to get the nation off oil and into a secure, sustainable form of mobility. A national network of high speed trains can be powered by a combination of renewable energy sources including wind, solar, geothermal, and ocean/tidal energy. America's dependency on oil is the most severe in the world, and inevitably pulls us into costly resource wars.
Voting Issue: Solvency Claim: All other rival powers are developing high-speed rail. Investment in HSR preserves American competitiveness and insulates the economy from oil shocks. Citations: Kunz, 3/10/2011 (Andy - president and CEO of the U.S. High Speed Rail Association, U.S. High-Speed Rail: Time to Hop Aboard or Be Left Behind, Environment 360, p. http://e360.yale.edu/feature/us_high-speed_rail_time_to_hop_aboard_or_be_left_behind/2378/)
China has committed to investing $360 billion to vastly expand its showcase network of high-speed trains, which already carry passengers at more than 200 miles per hour between some of the country's largest cities. Spain, despite its economic woes, is investing $170 billion to extend its acclaimed high-speed rail system, which now makes the 386-mile Madrid-Barcelona run in just 2 hours, 38 minutes — compared to six hours by car. A similar boom in high-speed rail construction is taking place throughout Europe, from the boot of Italy to the Baltic Sea. Worldwide, nations not normally associated with the bullet train revolution — India, Brazil, Argentina, and Morocco, among others — are making plans to build high-speed rail networks. They understand that rapid, inter-city rail systems will be essential to developing competitive 21st-century economies as oil supplies dwindle, highways and airports face increasing congestion, and pressure to reduce carbon emissions rises. And the United States? For the past several months the news on the high-speed rail front has been dominated by several governors, swept into power by the Tea Party movement, proudly proclaiming that they will have nothing to do with high-speed rail projects. The United States has become far too dependent on foreign oil, with Americans consuming six times more oil per capita than Europeans, who enjoy better, faster, and cheaper mobility. The U.S now spends up to $700 billion a year to import foreign oil, 70 percent of which is consumed by cars, trucks, and airplanes. Now, for the second time in less than three years, the price of oil has shot up past $100 a barrel, threatening the fragile economic recovery. And most experts agree that the world has passed the point of peak oil, which means that as demand soars and supplies dwindle, oil prices could hit $300 per barrel this decade. Enhancing U.S. energy security is just one reason the country needs a state-of-the-art high-speed rail system, which by 2030 could transport millions of people each day between America's cities. A national high-speed rail system would generate millions of jobs; help revive the country's manufacturing sector by creating a new industry producing the trains, steel, and related components; alleviate pressure on a crumbling transportation infrastructure; and lessen the ever-worsening congestion on America's highways and at its airports, where delays cause an estimated $156 billion in losses to the U.S. economy annually. And then there is climate change and the large-scale reduction of CO2 emissions that would result from the creation of an interstate high-speed rail system. The U.S. must build a national high-speed rail network if it hopes to maintain its competitiveness in the world economy. China and Europe are now moving ahead with their high-speed rail networks at breakneck speed, which means that in a decade or two they will have significantly reduced their dependence on imported oil, created tens of millions of new jobs, and saved their countries trillions of dollars by vastly improving the productivity of their economies thanks to a low-carbon transportation sector that moves people and goods at speeds that could one day hit 300 miles per hour, or more. The U.S. can be part of that future. But if more states follow the example of Florida, Wisconsin, and Ohio, the country will remain shackled
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: Highways are congested and are costing money and time. Source: Federal Highway Administration, 2012 http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/congestion/
Demand for highway travel by Americans continues to grow as population increases, particularly in metropolitan areas. Construction of new highway capacity to accommodate this growth in travel has not kept pace. Between 1980 and 1999, route miles of highways increased 1.5 percent while vehicle miles of travel increased 76 percent. The Texas Transportation Institute estimates that, in 2010, congestion in 439 metropolitan areas caused urban Americans to travel 4.8 billion hours more and to purchase an extra 1.9 billion gallons of fuel for a congestion cost of $101 billion. (Source: 2011 Urban Mobility Report, TTI). The volume of freight movement alone is forecast to nearly double by 2020. Congestion is largely thought of as a big city problem, but delays are becoming increasingly common in small cities and some rural areas as well.
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: Unchecked Global Warming will cause extinction Source: Tickell 8 (Oliver, Climate Researcher, The Guardian, "On a Planet 4C Hotter, All We Can Prepare for is Extinction", 8-11, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/11/climatechange)
Global warming on this scale would be a catastrophe that would mean, in the immortal words that Chief Seattle probably never spoke, "the end of living and the beginning of survival" for humankind. Or perhaps the beginning of our extinction. The collapse of the polar ice caps would become inevitable, bringing long-term sea level rises of 70-80 metres. All the world's coastal plains would be lost, complete with ports, cities, transport and industrial infrastructure, and much of the world's most productive farmland. The world's geography would be transformed much as it was at the end of the last ice age, when sea levels rose by about 120 metres to create the Channel, the North Sea and Cardigan Bay out of dry land. Weather would become extreme and unpredictable, with more frequent and severe droughts, floods and hurricanes. The Earth's carrying capacity would be hugely reduced. Billions would undoubtedly die.
Voting Issue: Solvency Claim: HSR is very safe Citations: CoPIRG 11, Organization for college students to tackle the world's problems, Nov. 10, 2011 "A Track Record of Success: High-Speed Rail Around the World and Its Promise for America", http://www.copirgstudents.org/reports/co/track-record-success-high-speed-rail-around-world-and-its-promise-america
High-speed rail systems can be engineered to be extraordinarily safe. the world's two oldest and most well-traveled high-speed rail lines—the Japanese Shinkansen and French TGV—have posted impressive safety records. In Japan, no passenger has ever been injured or killed due to an accident, such as derailment or collision, on the Shinkansen during its 46 years of service, despite carrying more than 340 million passengers per year. in France, no passenger has ever been killed due to an accident caused by the TGV in high-speed operation during its 29 years of service, despite ridership of 48 million passengers per year.
Voting Issue: Inherency Claim: HSR is blocked by Congressional infighting and a lack of permanent funding. Source: United Press International, 5/22/2012 (High-speed rail still a dream in U.S., p. http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2012/05/22/High-speed-rail-still-a-dream-in-US/UPI-19121337682600/)
High-speed systems are often idealized as the optimal form of passenger rail. That's a lofty goal given the tough economy, a Congress hindered by partisanship and the problems seen with projects just begun in places like California. But it's a nice vision. The reality is weighed down by the practical. Like the federal highway system a designated long-term passenger rail program -- not just an intermittently funded high-speed rail program -- would likely have to be established to see an effective program put into place.
Voting Issue: Solvency Claim: HSR very safe, zero recorded crashes after 40 years of operation in Japan or France. Citations: California High-Speed Rail Authority, 8 (state agency planning future high speed rail network, 2008, "Safety", California High-Speed Rail Authority, http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/safety.aspx)
High-speed train systems have been operated safely every day in other parts of the world for many years. The unparalleled safety record for high-speed trains is based upon their actual operating experience. In over 44 years of operation, Japanese high-speed trains have carried more than 9 billion passengers without a single train related fatality. In France, their high-speed trains (the "TGV") have been operating for 27 years and currently carry more than 100 million passengers a year. Like Japan, the French high-speed train system has never had a single high-speed train related passenger fatality
Voting Issue: Solvency Claim: HSR is the safest form of transportation Citations: California High-Speed Rail Authority, 8 (state agency planning future high speed rail network, 2008, "Safety", California High-Speed Rail Authority, http://www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov/safety.aspx)
High-speed trains have the proven record as the safest and most reliable form of transportation in the world as a result of separating high-speed trains from other forms of traffic and implementing automated positive train control that safeguards against human error. The entire high-speed train system is fully access controlled and grade-separated eliminating pedestrian and motor vehicle conflicts. The trains are centrally monitored and controlled, effectively preventing operators from making serious errors, stopping or slowing trains automatically in the event of external problem such as earthquakes, objects falling on the tracks, or gale force winds. High-speed train traffic control and communications systems are state-of-the-art, regulated, and managed during all hours of operation. Unlike aircraft, high-speed train systems are not subject to turbulence. Although high-speed train systems do operate in highly seismic areas, such as Japan, no fatalities have ever occurred as a result of a seismic event. The control system is linked to motion detectors close to faults having the potential to affect the line, even hundreds of miles from the line.
Voting Issue: Solvency Claim: HSR will reduce congestion Source: US Department of Transportation 2010
In the most recent draft of the National Rail Plan, the U.S. Department of Transportation highlights the growing population, road congestion, and air congestion in U.S. megaregions as important challenges that could be addressed by investments in passenger and freight rail
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: Climate change jeopardizes global food supplies. Source: New York Times, June 4, 2011 [www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/science/earth/05harvest.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3]
Now, the latest scientific research suggests that a previously discounted factor is helping to destabilize the food system: climate change. Many of the failed harvests of the past decade were a consequence of weather disasters, like floods in the United States, drought in Australia and blistering heat waves in Europe and Russia. Scientists believe some, though not all, of those events were caused or worsened by human-induced global warming. Temperatures are rising rapidly during the growing season in some of the most important agricultural countries, and a paper published several weeks ago found that this had shaved several percentage points off potential yields, adding to the price gyrations.
Voting Issue: Inherency Claim: Obama is pushing for HSR but Congress getting in his way Source: http://journal.georgetown.edu/2012/09/11/a-better-plan-for-port-security-by-travis-stalcup/
Obama is unwavering in his support for high-speed rail projects. Speaking a conference held by the American Public Transportation Conference in Dallas, Szabo said Obama's support for rail "remains as strong as ever. "His Fiscal Year 2013 budget requests $2.5 billion combined with $6 billion in immediate transportation investments - a total of $8.5 billion for the continued development of high-speed and intercity passenger rail projects," Szabo said. "America's rail renaissance is well underway." Support for high-speed rail in Congress has ebbed to a definitive low since Republicans came to power in the House in 2010. Money from the 2009 economic stimulus package for railways that was offered by the Obama administration was rejected by three prominent Republican governors, and GOP members in the House moved successfully last year to eliminate future funding for high-speed rail.
Voting Issue: Solvency Claim: HSR removes 6 billion pounds of CO2 per year and helps meet the 2020 emissions standards even at only partial capacity Citations: APTA 12 - American Public Transportation Association, non-profit organization which serves as an advocate for the advancement of public transportation programs and initiatives in the United States; educated the public about the benefits of public transportation through organized bus, light rail, rapid transit and other programs; lobbies the U.S. Congress and local government bodies in favor of public transportation improvements and new developments. (January, An Inventory of the Criticisms ofHigh-Speed Rail, http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/HSR-Defense.pdf) // AG
Overall, environmental analysts estimate that between 12 billion and 6 billion pounds of CO2 can be eliminated by diverting passengers from air and auto travel in passenger rail corridors ranging from 100 to 600 miles in length. the Climate Change Scoping Plan produced by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) (pursuant to AB 32) in 2008 includes the HST system as one of the state's fundamental strategies in meeting the 2020 emissions reduction goals. By 2020, the HST system is expected to have just started operations between San Francisco and Anaheim and is estimated to be only at 26% of the full ridership levels
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: HSR dramatically cuts greenhouse gas emissions—the plan effectively reduces pollution from cars and planes. Source: Dutzik et al. 10 — Tony Dutzik, Senior Policy Analyst with Frontier Group specializing in energy, transportation, and climate policy, holds an M.A. in print journalism from Boston University and a B.S. in public service from Penn State University, et al., with Siena Kaplan, Analyst with Frontier Group, and Phineas Baxandall, Federal Tax and Budget Policy Analyst with U.S. PIRG, holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. in Economics from the College of Social Studies at Wesleyan University, 2010 ("Why Intercity Passenger Rail?," The Right Track: Building a 21st Century High-Speed Rail System for America, Published by the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Available Online at http://americanhsra.org/whitepapers/uspirg.pdf, Accessed 06-10-2012, p. 15-16)
Passenger rail is a cleaner form of transportation than car or air travel, emitting less global warming pollution and less health-threatening air pollution. Building a high-speed rail network in the United States would attract passengers who otherwise would have taken cars or planes, reducing the country's global warming emissions and cleaning up our air. Modernizing our tracks would also benefit freight trains, taking large trucks off of highways and adding to the environmental and health benefits of investment in rail. Passenger rail already emits less global warming pollution than cars or planes, and these savings will increase as the United States develops a high-speed rail network. The Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP)/ Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) study showed that today, passenger rail travel emits 60 percent less carbon dioxide per passenger mile then cars and 66 percent less than planes. Electric trains are not only more energy efficient, but they are faster, and could eventually be powered at least partially with emission-free renewable energy. By attracting travelers who otherwise would have taken cars or planes, building a high-speed rail network would be much more effective at reducing global warming emissions than our current passenger rail system. The CCAP/CNT study estimated that building the high-speed rail corridors [end page 15] planned by the federal government using fast diesel trains, with top speeds of 99 mph, would attract enough passengers to reduce global warming emissions by 6.1 billion pounds, the equivalent of taking almost 500,000 cars off the road. Passenger rail reduces harmful air pollutions as well, especially when it is powered by electricity. For example, a passenger on an electric train in Germany produces about 93 percent less air pollution than someone traveling by car, and 91 percent less than someone making the same trip by plane.34 Although the electricity produced in the United States would create more emissions, electric trains would still be much cleaner than diesel trains, cars or planes. When tracks are upgraded for better passenger rail service, freight traffic needs are considered as well, allowing more freight trains to travel faster and with fewer delays and adding to the environmental benefits. Rail transport is much more fuel efficient than truck transport for freight—various studies estimate that train transport is three to nine times as efficient as truck transport for the same amount of freight.
Voting Issue: Inherency Claim: Obama's high speed rail project is stymied. Political opposition and concerns about cost are impeding progress. Source: The Washington Post, 1/13/2012 (Plans for high-speed rail are slowing down, p. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/plans-for-high-speed-rail-are-slowing-down/2012/01/13/gIQAngYc1P_print.html)
Spiraling cost estimates and eroding political and public support now threaten a project crucial to a 21st-century vision of train travel that President Obama promised would transform U.S. transportation much as interstate highways did more than a half-century ago. A national high-speed rail network would not only support tens of thousands of construction and manufacturing jobs, but it would get Americans out of their cars, revitalize struggling downtowns, and spare the environment millions of tons of carbon emissions. Obama set a goal of providing 80 percent of Americans access to high-speed rail within 25 years. But that lofty vision is yielding to the political gravity generated by high costs, determined opponents and a public that has grown dubious of government's ability to do big things. Virtually none of the projects has gotten off the ground. Obama has wagered more than $10 billion in federal money on high-speed rail, only to see his plans diminished, one after another. Republican governors in Florida, Wisconsin and Ohio turned back billions of dollars in federal money for high-speed rail.
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: Car crashes cost the government tons of money Citations: Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, '12 ("Crash Costs and Statistics", http://www.rmiia.org/auto/traffic_safety/Cost_of_crashes.asp)
The highest price we pay for car crashes is in the loss of human lives, however society also bears the brunt of the many costs associated with motor vehicle accidents. Automobile Association of America states that according to the Federal Highway Administration, the per-person cost of traffic fatalities in 2005 dollars is $3.2 million and $68,170 for injuries. AAA estimates the cost of traffic crashes to be $166.7 billion. Costs include medical, emergency services, police services, property damage, lost productivity, and quality of life. In 2009, 10,591 lives were lost due to speed-related accidents. Speed-related crashes cost Americans $40.4 billion each year. More than 900 people a year die and nearly 2,000 are injured as a result of vehicles running red lights. A study released in November 2010 found that 16.5%, or about 1 in 6 fatal crashes, involved a drowsy driver. found that 16.5%, or about 1 in 6 fatal crashes, involved a drowsy driver.
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: The primary cause of global warming is human activity. Source: Union of Concerned Scientists January 27, 2011 [http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/global_warming_101/]
The primary cause of global warming is human activity, most significantly the burning of fossil fuels to drive cars, generate electricity, and operate our homes and businesses. Tropical deforestation, also by human hands, is another major contributor. When these forests are burned, they release huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere and because the forests no longer exist, they are no longer available to absorb CO2.
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: Continued traffic congestion risks economic collapse Source: Building America's Future, 11 - a bipartisan coalition of elected officials dedicated to bringing about a new era of U.S. investment in infrastructure that enhances our nation's prosperity and quality of life. ("Falling Apart and Falling Behind", Transportation Infrastructure Report, http://www.bafuture.com/sites/default/files/Report_0.pdf)
The surge in global trade has realigned America's business transport needs, complicating supply chains and increasing the need for sophisticated intermodal transportation. Our economically vital gateways and corridors now operate over capacity, imposing costs of $200 billion a year. Our passenger transport system, especially in our major metropolitan regions, is also burdened with costly congestion as passenger travel increases. Largely run on gasoline, our transportation system is environmentally, politically, and economically unsustainable. We have the world's worst air traffic congestion, in part because we are still using the radar-based air traffic control system developed in the 1950s.
Voting Issue: Solvency Claim: Simply completing all the proposed HSR projects would result in substantial GHG reduction Citations:CCAP 6, Center for Clean Air Policy, (Center for Green air Policy, " High Speed Rail and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the U.S", Article itself is a publication, January 2008, http://www.cnt.org/repository/HighSpeedRailEmissions.pdf)//AG
To estimate high speed rail's net emissions impact, we calculated the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions saved from passengers switching to high speed rail from other modes (air, conventional rail, automobile and bus) and subtracted the estimated emissions generated by high speed rail. Current projections show that passengers would take 112 million trips on high speed rail in the U.S. in 2025, traveling more than 25 billion passenger miles. This would result in 29 million fewer automobile trips and nearly 500,000 fewer flights. We calculated a total emissions savings of 6 billion pounds of CO2 per year (2.7 MMTCO2) if all proposed high speed rail systems studied for this project are built.
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: Current transportation structures produce lots of greenhouse gases. Source: Aurelie Jehanno, International Union of Railways, November 2011 [High Speed Rail and Sustainability, Paris, p.14 uic.org/IMG/pdf/hsr_sustainability_main_study_final.pdf]
Transport has a key role to play within solutions to climate change as current transport structures are responsible for extreme pressures on energy resources and ecosystems through a high dependence on fossil fuels (80% of energy consumption is derived from fossil fuels). Producing 23% of all worldwide CO2 emissions, transport is the second largest source of man-made CO2, after energy production. Among all sectors, the transport sector is the only one in which emissions are continuing to increase in spite of all the technological advances. Moreover, transport emissions, for instance in Europe, increased by 25% between 1990 and 2010. By contrast emissions from the 9 industrial and energy sectors are falling. Reducing transport emissions is therefore one of the most crucial steps in combating global warming and securing our future.
Voting Issue: Harms and Significance Claim: Transportation emission will increase by nearly 2% a year. Source: Christensen, 1/3/2012 (Angela, The Need for Speed: How High Speed Rail Challenges the 'Green' Car, p. http://begreen.botw.org/2012/01/high-speed-rail-challenges-green-car/)
he continuous movement of people has taken its toll on the planet. Transport is one of the main contributors to CO2 emissions and global warming. Given the demand for travel, airports are overcrowded and roadways are congested. To make matters worse, transport energy emissions are expected to increase 1.7% per year from 2004-2030. In response to the tremendous amounts of carbon that cars emit into the air every second and the increased concern over environmental degradation, car manufacturers integrated 'green' technology into their production lines and unveiled alternative energy vehicles to the world in the way of the hybrid and electric vehicles. However, these 'green' cars are not affordable to most Americans, especially given the current state of the national economy. The initial cost to own a hybrid car is between $2,000 and $10,000 more than their traditional car competitors. Additionally, the complex technology onboard hybrid vehicles makes repairs more cumbersome and often leaves the buyer with a large out-of-pocket expense if something goes awry. Nevertheless, hybrid cars cut carbon emissions by 25-30% over the most fuel-efficient vehicles, making them seem more environmentally attractive. Hybrids perform best during low speed city driving or in traffic jams when the battery kicks in to power the car rather than the engine running on fuel. If highway driving is your normal route, then the hybrid's motor continuously runs on gasoline making the trip to the gas station inevitable. Unfortunately, less fuel consumption and fewer carbon emissions are met with environmental toxins that are produced during the car's manufacture.
Voting Issue: Solvency Claim: High Speed Rail will reduce congestion. Source: Jehanno 2011 [Aurélie, project manager at SYSTRA Conseil, "High speed rail and sustainability," International union of railways. November 2011]
particularly High Speed Rail (HSR), is an important means to meeting these challenges and contribute to sustainable mobility development. HSR offers tangible advantages over other transport modes such as air, conventional rail and the car for medium to long distance journeys. Considering the evaluation of the complete life cycle it is in terms of sustainability the most efficient mode of transport. At the same time it combines many of the attributes that we most desire while travelling such as speed, reliability, comfort and safety. HSR's ability to compete with domestic air travel in terms of time and comfort has made a modal shift possible. By not only encouraging a shift from air but also from traditional road transport for lengthy journeys in either cars or coaches HSR is contributing to congestion reduction and its associated pollution. By providing a suitable alternative for traditional transport modes travel which is greener and more energy efficient per passenger-kilometre it is contributing to the transport industries' need to reduce carbon emissions. Furthermore, HSR, which is only operating on the electrified network, is today's only mode of transport that directly benefits from the "greening" of the energy supply sector towards low carbon electricity. Electricity from renewable sources can be HSR's main power supply without the need to develop specific and completely new technologies. Compared to aviation and road transport, which will be highly dependent on fossil fuels for many years,
