ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

ASSIGNMENT NO. 1: TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISTURBANCES

Name: ORTEGA, MARY ALYSSA T.

Choose a technological advancement that you deem very important. Explain the environmental disturbances
brought about by such advancement.

Every technological advancement is essential in our everyday lives, especially in this generation.
Transportation is one. A reliable and comfortable mode of transportation has always been a demand to commuters,
motorists, students, etc. There are different modes of transportation in every country. In the Philippines, jeepneys,
buses and rail transit are the main public transportation in urban areas, specifically Manila. According to Jochebed
Gonzales, a senior researcher, private vehicles (cars) takes up two-thirds of the volume of traffic in EDSA, while
public transportation such as jeepneys, UVs, taxis, and buses make up 11.4% only. Not only these percentages
contribute to the traffic congestion in highways but also to noise and air pollution. Vehicles emit greenhouse gases
(GHG) which greatly harm the environment. According to Climate Change Commission (CCC), the third largest
contributor of Philippines’ GHG emissions next to energy and agriculture sectors is the transport sector. As the
population continues to grow, GHG emissions would also increase due to this. Also, the smoke from these vehicles
lead to illness and diseases to the people inhaling it. It has always been the struggle of commuters and people in
the Philippines. Unfortunately, we cannot avoid air pollution from vehicles considering the situation of our country.
However, we can lessen the emission of greenhouse gases.

It is understandable that some Filipinos prefer private vehicles than public transportation, comfort-wise
and safety-wise. There has always been a transport crisis in the Philippines. The public transportation in our country
is facing problems and complaints regarding its cleanliness, poor quality, and service. Considering the situation of
our country, not all Filipinos can afford cars to avoid the discomfort of public vehicles. The majority of Filipinos are
relying on public vehicles thus the need of improvements of these. The government needs to invest and prioritize
our public vehicles given that it transports more people. A bus can accommodate 50-60 people, while 1-5 persons
can only fit in a car. If these 60 people are distributed to private vehicles, resulting to 12 cars which already
contributed to traffic congestion and the increase of GHG emissions. Therefore, the development and prioritizing
of public transportation helps to minimize the emission of GHG that every vehicle produces.

Sources:https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/01/16/transport-sector-third-largest-contributor-to-greenhouse-gas-
emissions-ccc/
https://www.bworldonline.com/how-many-vehicles-pass-through-edsa-each-day/

Page 1 of 1