According to the most recent U.N. climate change report, the impacts of global warming are becoming more widespread and severe across the world. As these issues persist, societies and ecosystems will increasingly struggle to manage them if nations do not work to bring down greenhouse gas emissions quickly.
A recent New York Times article summarizes the main takeaways of the report, noting how climate hazards have worsened over the past decade and the importance of societies — especially poorer countries, which could be the most at risk for irreparable damage — adapt to mitigate the impacts.
“This [reducing climate change] is something that is not getting enough attention still, and it’s easy to push it aside when we have other current economic struggles, but that doesn’t make it go away,” said Tyler Cole, director of carbon intelligence at FreightWaves. “I think it’s important to call on those in the transportation industry to start asking questions regarding how to get better at cutting emissions.”
With many companies in the freight industry setting their goals for the coming decades, the report is a call to action to start thinking about long-term sustainability. With the damage that has already been done, a sense of urgency about reducing carbon emissions long term is essential in efforts to make the shift to greater sustainability sooner rather than later.
“You have to have a plan in place for potential long-term impacts, or else you’re not doing your job effectively,” Cole said.
As the road transportation sector is currently the top contributor of carbon emissions in the U.S., there is an opportunity for the domestic trucking industry to lead by adopting more sustainable solutions to reduce carbon emissions.
“The more we are burning diesel, bunker fuel and gasoline, the longer we are going to emit greenhouse gas into the atmosphere where it sits and cooks the planet,” Cole said. “The sooner we can have transformational change, the faster we can solve these issues.”
In the midst of “expectation fatigue,” in which many companies may find it challenging to keep up with constantly evolving environmental issues, companies should find peace in knowing that change starts internally and success comes through perseverance.
There are currently many solutions in the freight industry today that help companies reduce carbon emissions in the near term. These solutions range from capital intensive options such as investing in the electrification of fleets and alternative fuel vehicles, to less capital intensive options such as partnering with digital freight networks that use technology to increase operational efficiency while reducing empty miles through programs like batching or optimizing appointment windows.
“There has to be a constant renewal and passing of the torch, internally, where you’re continuing to keep the flame alive,” said Cole. “It’s like running a race — if you set a goal, you’ll get tired early. But the longer you work toward your goal, the better you get at it and have better results in the long run.”