Transportation Energy Use

Transportation Energy Use in United States

United States

The transportation of people and cargo accounts for more than one-fourth of the energy consumed annually in the United States. The transportation sector consumes more energy than any other but the industrial sector, and about 40% more than the energy consumed by the residential sector.

Energy used for transportation in the United States predominantly comes from fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases which trap heat and lead to the warming of the atmosphere. The effects of transportation energy use extend beyond global warming. Negative effects of transportation emissions can be felt in the air, water and ground. These effects include acid rain, smog, contaminated drinking water, heavy metal contamination, plant and animal die-offs and slowed decomposition of organic material.

The high amounts of energy used for transportation contribute to climate change. Climate change impacts everyone, particularly vulnerable populations like pregnant women, children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, poor communities and communities of color.

Achieving carbon-neutral industrial transportation is challenging, as there are currently no technologies apart from internal combustion engines that are capable of powering shipping freighters or freight planes. Several strategies and policies to reduce fossil fuels used in transportation energy include:

• Developing advanced vehicle technologies that reduce the amount of fuel used to run vehicles. These technologies include internal combustion engines, start-stop systems and cylinder deactivation. 
• Expanding the market for electric vehicles and other low-carbon technologies. 
• Accelerating the development of technologies that could save fuel in trucks.
• Reducing fossil fuel subsidies to increase competition in the energy market. 
• Including energy companies in climate policies to achieve a clean energy transition. 
• Ensuring strict regulation of U.S. oil and gas production to reduce methane emissions and routine gas flaring during production. 

The Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy and Health (CARTEEH) encourages cross-sector collaboration between transportation and health professionals to address health issues related to transportation emissions. CARTEEH shares research findings through various seminars and webinars. It also has its own data hub and research library. 

The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions suggests actions individuals can take to reduce their transportation energy footprint.

The Alliance to Save Energy has a goal to cut transportation energy use in half by 2050. 

Introcaso, David. “Climate Change Is The Greatest Threat To Human Health In History.” Health Affairs Blog, December 19, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1377/forefront.20181218.278288.

National Research Council, ed. Policy Options for Reducing Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Transportation. Transportation Research Board Special Report 307. Washington, D.C.: Transportation Research Board, 2011. https://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/sr/sr307.pdf.

Rodrigue, Jean-Paul. The Geography of Transport Systems. 5th ed. New York: Routledge, 2020. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429346323.

U.S. Department of Energy. “Natural Gas Flaring and Venting: State and Federal Regulatory Overview, Trends, and Impacts.” U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Oil and Natural Gas, Office of Fossil Energy, June 2019. https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2019/08/f65/Natural%20Gas%20Flaring%20and%20Venting%20Report.pdf.