How environmentally friendly are our motor vehicles?

Host of Ipswich's Changing Climates series, Dr Christa Pudmenzky, explains the role renewables will play in our transportation sector. Read on for your chance to win a $500 EFTPOS gift card.

Experts observe that Australia's climate is warming.

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Getting your first car is often seen as a rite of passage, evoking a deep sense of pride and providing a taste of freedom.

Cars have become so ubiquitous that we rarely stop to think about their impact – the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide which trap heat and contribute to the warming of our climate.

These impacts are exacerbated by the carbon intensity of our vehicles – the amount of carbon dioxide released when we burn fuel.

Cars that are powered by petroleum and diesel typically have a high carbon intensity, producing greater amounts of carbon dioxide compared to less carbon intensive transportation like buses and trains.

As approximately 84 per cent of Australian households own at least one car, there are fewer people using public transportation on a regular basis and thus increasing transport emissions.

In 2020, 730kg of transport emissions were produced for every 1000km travelled in Ipswich – this is equivalent to the weight of six baby elephants.

The future of transportation:

Behind the energy sector, emissions from the transportation sector are the second greatest contributor to human induced climate change in Australia – a trend that will continue if we keep buying more fuel-guzzling vehicles.

Although, there is a beacon of hope in the form of electric vehicles which are seen as our saving grace and the undisputed future of transportation.

The reality of making a nationwide shift, however, is complicated.

While electric vehicles are indeed far greener than their fossil fuel consuming counterparts, they are only as clean as their power supply.

With 75 per cent of Australia's energy being generated by coal, electric vehicles are still carbon intensive, though these emissions are now represented in the energy sector rather than transport.

Harnessing the power of renewables such as solar and wind will allow electric vehicles to unlock their full potential and reduce the carbon intensity of transport.

Australia is the perfect place for this, with some of the greatest solar and wind energy resources in the world, including the most sunlight per square metre of any continent.

In fact, using solar energy alone, Australia could produce approximately a hundred times more energy than what is currently needed to meet demand.

Greater investment in renewables paired with increased adoption of electric vehicles could see transport emissions decrease to a fraction of their current levels - a significant step in achieving a clean energy future.

While we await the price of electric vehicles to drop and for the energy sector to transition to renewables, there are several actions we can take to reduce our carbon footprint when it comes to transportation.

Public transport is a far less carbon intensive option as more people can use these services at the same time.

Taking public transport, as well as walking or cycling are all some of the small changes that we can make to limit our carbon intensity.

Even substituting one car trip a week could help lessen the distance travelled by each person by almost 1900km per year.

Residents of Ipswich can also spur a change in the energy sector by investing in projects that focus on renewable energy or installing rooftop solar.

Did you know?

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Want more information on how your climate is changing? Check out the last article in this series.

Dr Christa Pudmenzky is a climate scientist at the University of Southern Queensland.

This column is part of a collaboration between Monash University and News Corp to deliver hyperlocal weather and climate information.