Highways & Climate Change

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Resources and Publications

This page highlights resources and publications supported by FHWA. For other climate change and transportation resources, please visit the USDOT Transportation and Climate Change Clearinghouse. Click on the links below to find resources in a particular category.

• Background on Climate Change and Transportation
• Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Impacts of Climate Change and Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts
• Both Mitigation of and Adaptation to Climate Change

Background on Climate Change and Transportation

AASHTO Center for Environmental Excellence Primer on Transportation and Climate Change (April 2008) (Link to PDF version of the primer is available at the bottom of the page). The primer provides some scientific background on climate change, introduces climate change policy issues, and discusses areas of further research. It details some GHG emission trends that relate to the road transportation sector and discusses technological transportation improvements that could help reduce GHG emissions.

Transportation and Global Climate Change: A Review and Analysis of the Literature (June 1998). This report provides an overview of scientific literature on climate change and describes some potential consequences of warming temperatures, including sea level rise. The report discusses international and U.S. policies related to climate change and presents some strategies to reduce GHG emissions in the transportation sector.

Mitigation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

	Guidance: Planning Program Funds to Support Integration of Transportation, Land Use, and Climate Change (November 2008). Current FHWA/FTA planning requirements (23 U.S.C. 134 and 135, 49 U.S.C. 5303 and 5304) call for MPOs and State DOTs to consider land use and economic development impacts in their transportation planning processes. The FHWA/FTA issued guidance to clarify the eligibility and criteria for use of FHWA/FTA metropolitan and statewide planning program funds to support Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and State Planning and Research (SPR) work activities addressing the integration of transportation, land use, and climate change.
	Assessing the Effects of Freight Movement on Air Quality at the National and Regional Level (April 2005). This report evaluates the impacts of freight transportation on national and regional air quality and discusses technological and operational strategies that can mitigate freight emissions. The report concludes with recommendations for further research to explore linkages between freight transportation and air quality.
	Greenhouse Gas Control Strategies: A Review of "Before-and After" Studies (November 1999). This paper summarizes the results of a literature search on U.S. efforts to reduce GHG emissions from on-highway vehicles and public transit modes.
	Assessment of GHG Models for the Surface Transportation Sector (November 1999). This paper is a survey of several models used in the U.S. to estimate the impact of GHG control strategies in the surface transport sector.

Impacts of Climate Change and Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts

	Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region (January 2009). This study assesses the impacts of sea-level rise on the physical characteristics of the Mid-Atlantic coast, on coastal communities, and the habitats that depend on them. The report, examines multiple opportunities for governments and coastal communities to plan for and adapt to rising sea levels.
	The Potential Impacts of Global Sea Level Rise on Transportation Infrastructure – Mid-Atlantic Study Phase 1 – Final Report: the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia (August 2008). This study assesses the potential net effects of sea level rise, and associated increases in storm surges, on transportation infrastructure in several coastal states and low-lying regions. Using statistics from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the report describes several scenarios for sea level rise and provides a series of statewide and county maps that visualize the potential impacts of sea level rise on transportation infrastructure. The next phase of the study will explore potential effects on New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, South Carolina, Georgia, and the Atlantic coast of Florida.
	Impacts of Climate Variability and Change on Transportation Systems and Infrastructure – Gulf Coast Study (March 2008) The research, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), was conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP). This report, the first in a three-phase effort, assesses the potential climate-change-related impacts to transportation infrastructure in the U.S. Gulf Coast region and describes ways to incorporate climate change issues into transportation planning. The major drivers of climate change examined in the report were rising sea levels, warming temperatures, precipitation pattern changes, and increased intensity of storm activity.
	2nd Workshop on Impacts of Global Climate Change on Hydraulics, Hydrology, and Transportation (March 2006). This workshop, the second in a pair of workshops sponsored by the U.S. DOT Center for Climate Change and Environmental Forecasting and other partners, focused on the potential multimodal impacts of climate change on hydraulics, hydrology, and transportation with a particular focus on sea level rise.
	1st Workshop on Impacts of Global Climate Change on Hydraulics, Hydrology, and Transportation (March 2005). This workshop, the first in a pair of workshops sponsored by the U.S. DOT Center for Climate Change and Environmental Forecasting and other partners, focused on the potential impacts of climate change on hydraulics, hydrology, and transportation with a particular focus on sea level rise.
	The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Transportation: Workshop Summary and Proceedings (October 2002). This report provides a summary and eighteen discussion papers from a workshop exploring the potential impacts of climate change on transportation systems and services.

Both Mitigation of and Adaptation to Climate Change

	FHWA Transportation and Climate Change News is a monthly newsletter that provides transportation stakeholders with up-to-date information on transportation and climate change milestones.
	Integrating Climate Change into the Transportation Planning Process (July 2008). This study reports on opportunities for States and MPOs to incorporate climate change considerations into long-range transportation planning (LRTP) processes, including adaptation and mitigation practices. The study also describes examples of current state and MPO practices that link climate change and the LRTP process.
	Carbon Dioxide, Climate Change, and the Boston Region MPO: A Discussion Paper (May 2008). This paper identifies the current and potential climate change-related impacts to the Boston, MA region, details current actions undertaken by the Boston Region MPO to address climate change issues, and discusses possible future actions for the Boston Region MPO to reduce GHG emissions
	Summary Report: MPO Peer Workshop on Planning for Climate Change (April 2008). This report summarizes discussions from an MPO peer workshop on transportation planning for climate change, which took place in March 2008. The peer workshop focused on current MPO practices that address climate change issues, as well as outcomes, challenges, and areas of common concern.
	Summary Report: MPO Peer Workshop on Planning for Climate Change (September 2008). This report summarizes discussions from an MPO peer workshop on transportation planning for climate change, which took place Albany, NY. The peer workshop focused on current MPO practices that address climate change issues, as well as outcomes, challenges, and areas of common concern.
	Summary Report: MPO Peer Workshop on Planning for Climate Change (October 2008). This report summarizes discussions from an MPO peer workshop on transportation planning for climate change, which took place in Seattle, WA. The peer workshop focused on current MPO practices that address climate change issues, as well as outcomes, challenges, and areas of common concern.
	Assessing State Long Range Transportation Planning Initiatives in the Northeast for Climate and Energy Benefits (December 2005) This study identifies state LRTP practices for climate protection and energy efficiency outcomes.