Riding Bikes Could Save the World $24 Trillion
Cycling isn’t just good for you: It’s good for the world. Last week, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy published a report called "A Global High Shift Cycling Scenario," which outlined some drastic global benefits that would result from more people traded car trips for bike commuting.
Currently, less than seven percent of commutes in the world are made on bikes. Researchers evaluated what would happen if a full 23 percent of world commutes were made on bikes or e-bikes by 2050. In every country, they explain, nearly 35 percent of commutes are less than 5km, and 50 percent are less than 10km. When you think about riding those distances instead of driving them, it doesn’t add up to too many extra miles made by bike—especially not, as the authors point out, if you’re using an e-bike for most of your trips. That’s not too much to ask, is it?
Related: Saving the World, One Bike Ride at a Time
And consider the benefits: With this shift, society would save $24 trillion cumulatively between 2015 and 2050, and cut CO2 emissions from urban passenger transport by nearly 11 percent—about 300 megatons of CO2 emissions—according to the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.
Now that’s a good reason to get riding: When you’ll save money, protect the earth, and make yourself healthier and happier, it’s pretty much a win-win-win!
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