- Pique Action
- Posts
- What the Truck? Decarbonizing Industrial Travel 🚚
What the Truck? Decarbonizing Industrial Travel 🚚
We’re back with a new NextNow micro-documentary about a disruptive startup changing the trucking industry from diesel to decarbonized. Read on to learn about just how much all those 18-wheelers on the highway impact our health and our planet, and what new technologies are doing to address the problem!
— Written by Shayna Berglas
The Problem: Trucks Emit Dirty, Dirty Air
Trucks are an essential part of our daily lives, transporting goods and materials across the country. But we can’t ignore their environmental impact. According to the EPA, trucks are responsible for 23% of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.. This, of course, contributes significantly to climate change, doing all sorts of nasty things to the environment and human health.
For example, air pollution is a major problem. Diesel-powered trucks release harmful pollutants into the air, such as nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds. These pollutants can lead to a range of health problems, including respiratory issues, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer.
So, what can be done to mitigate these negative impacts? One solution is to encourage more sustainable transportation practices, such as using electric or hybrid trucks, optimizing routes to reduce travel time, and investing in public transportation and freight rail. In fact, a report by the IPCC found that transitioning to more sustainable transportation options could reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the sector by up to 90% by 2050, if aggressive action is taken today. But despite the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act,we’re still lagging behind when it comes to climate legislation.
Startups like ClearFrame are working on another solution: promoting the use of cleaner, more efficient technologies in the trucking industry. This will reduce emissions and lower the cost of ownership for trucking companies.
ClearFlame: The Tech in Action
Diesel engines today contribute about five giga tons globally to CO2 emissions. People, that's about 15% of the global climate problem. The mainstream narrative is that electric vehicles are going to solve everything, and while they are a good solution, there are almost 40 million registered trucks in the U.S. alone that are built with the old, non-electric, not-so-climate-friendly parts.
In other words, freight trucks are not ready for electrification.
What do we do with those hard-to-electrify markets? The longer we continue to wait for a perfect solution, the longer we're going to perpetuate the use of fossil fuels.
Today, diesel fuel is the lifeblood of heavy industry. ClearFlame Engine Technologies is building a replacement using that lifeblood with a fundamentally cleaner and lower cost solution without sacrificing the performance users need to get their jobs done.
Park yourself in front of our three-minute micro doc to learn more.
What We’re Watching 🎥, Reading 📚, and Listening to 🎧
Searching for more positive and informative climate content? Look no further!
In Case You Missed It 🔍
Get your free tickets now for Playground Earth: Activating Climate Emotions, an MTV Mental Health Action Day event on May 18th in Los Angeles. This community-focused and youth-led event centers the discussion of the mental health impacts of the climate crisis with a film screening of Gen Z Mental Health: Climate Stories and clips from Overheated: The Documentary; a panel discussion on climate mental health moderated by Leah Thomas of Intersectional Environmentalist; and activation tables for mental health and climate actions.
Interested in getting involved? Email [email protected] to learn more about partnering or volunteering for the event!