THE OPPORTUNITY: Regional challenges call for regional action
Pollution from transportation accounts for the largest portion of climate-changing carbon emissions in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region (more than 40% region wide). A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that ambitious reductions are needed within the next decade to avoid dangerous impacts to public health, infrastructure, and the environment. At the same time, people and businesses across the region are calling for cleaner, more efficient, more equitable, and more resilient transportation options.
Transportation and climate issues don’t stop at state borders, and regional challenges call for regional action, in addition to efforts undertaken by individual states. Recognizing an opportunity to address two of our greatest challenges together — the growing need to improve the way people and goods move from place to place, and the clear and present threat posed by climate change — TCI was formed in 2010 by the leaders of environment, transportation, and energy agencies for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia.
