Driving Global Warming: Commuting in Maine and Its Contribution to Global Warming

Abstract

This report discusses how the state of Maine contributes to national global warming in the United States. It estimates that transportation is responsible for a little less than one third of the state's contribution to global warming, and work trips are a hefty portion of that contribution. The report analyzes which part of the state the commuters come from, discusses the types of residential development in the state, and provides suggestions for decreasing transportation related global warming. These suggestions include: decreasing single driver commutes; expanding the public transit network; encouraging home based telecommuting; encouraging residents to live near their places of work; encouraging carpooling; encouraging transit-oriented development and urban redevelopment; and encouraging residents to buy vehicles that produce less carbon dioxide.