Improving Our Air Quality & Reducing Greenhouse Gases
Downtown Los Angeles. Photo: JR Woodward
The Subway to the Sea will have major environmental benefits for Southern California. As a high-capacity electric system, i.e. a zero-emission transit system, the Subway to the Sea will mean significant reductions in both smog forming emissions or greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, whether measured on a per passenger or a per passenger-mile basis. Simply put, it is easier to reduce emissions at a power plant than it is to do so for millions of cars or even thousands of buses, especially so since Southern California gets most of its power from some of the cleanest power sources in the world.
Palisades Park - Santa Monica
In addition, because a high-capacity trunk line will increase utilization of all transit systems, the Subway to the Sea will make the entire transit system more attractive and more effective. The Subway to the Sea will encourage a larger number of our community members to leave their cars and our roadway congestion behind for a much improved transit alternative. Fewer cars on the road will mean less air pollution. Also, fewer cars on our streets will mean less congestion for those cars and buses that remain, less stop-and-go driving, less idling and less pollution.
Santa Monica State Beach
Further, by encouraging more transit use overall, and by providing a high capacity system on a key corridor, the Subway to the Sea will encourage more transit and pedestrian-oriented land use in communities. People in such communities will have far less need to use their cars.
Thus, the Subway to the Sea will help Southern California reduce air pollution and it will help us make an essential contribution to the effort to reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming. While the State of California has undertaken to provide national leadership in addressing global climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gases, this is a mission that Sacramento cannot achieve on its own. A high-capacity electric-powered transit system, especially as our power system transitions more and more to renewable energy sources, will help our communities do their part in reducing greenhouse gases that are responsible for global climate change and its myriad uncertain consequences.