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The hidden benefits of high-speed rail

Nature Climate Change volume 11, pages 902–903 (2021)Cite this article

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Improvements in public transport are often regarded as essential to combat climate change. A study investigating the Chinese high-speed rail system suggests that these benefits could operate through channels other than those that one might expect.

The Article is related to several studies suggesting that improvements in public transportation can help to reduce local pollution, although the effects are not clear-cut in all cases. The evidence includes recent work showing how the Chinese high-speed rail system has reduced carbon monoxide (CO) pollution near highways (but not fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone pollution)2. Going beyond that particular context, a new metro system in Taipei was found to reduce CO emissions by 5–15% (ref. 3). Railway strikes in Germany have been shown to increase particle pollution by 14% (ref. 4). In the same country, large-scale improvements in local passenger railways led to reductions in CO and nitrogen oxide emissions, but did not affect sulfur dioxide and ozone concentrations5. A study in the United States on the effects of public transport on automobile travel leads to more sceptical conclusions, emphasizing that desirable effects may fade away in the longer term6. Given the heterogeneity of the results for local pollution, it appears important to investigate the effects of railway projects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions carefully rather than taking them for granted.

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  1. Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Armin Schmutzler

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  1. Armin Schmutzler
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Correspondence to Armin Schmutzler.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Schmutzler, A. The hidden benefits of high-speed rail. Nat. Clim. Chang. 11, 902–903 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01199-z

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