Positives

• The article presents a topic that should be familiar to most students, especially those in urban environments.
• The discussion of public transportation access may prove quite relevant, especially for students who cannot afford a car.
• The article discusses the adoption of public transportation in different areas of the globe based on income and access.
• This article is in a scientific paper format, which helps develop scientific literacy.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with greenhouse gas emissions from internal combustion engine cars.
• Learners should be familiar with gigaton, the unit used to measure carbon emissions.
• Teachers can use this interactive table of solutions to show students the rankings of solutions by scenario on the Drawdown website and make it easier to understand the relative impact of ocean shipping efficiency.

Differentiation

• Before reading the article, have students discuss their experiences with public transportation and how they think it could be a climate change solution.
• Be sure to explain the study's limitations, discussing that they did not account for the increased investment necessary in public transportation infrastructure and the assumption that those taking public transportation were previously driving combustion engine cars.
• After reading this article, have students record their weekly transportation and use Google Maps to investigate whether there are any viable public transportation options to replace any driving they may do.
• To investigate other climate solutions related to transportation, check out the articles on efficient trucks and hybrid cars.