Year of Award
2023
Document Type
Professional Paper
Degree Type
Master of Arts (MA)
Degree Name
Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism
Other Degree Name/Area of Focus
Natural Resource Conflict Resolution
Committee Chair
Clemens Work
Committee Co-chair
Ray Fanning
Commitee Members
Clemens Work, Ray Fanning, Derek Kellenberg
Keywords
transportation, electric vehicles, EVs, school buses, Missoula, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Publisher
University of Montana
Subject Categories
Digital Humanities | Radio
Abstract
The climate is undeniably changing. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published yet another report this year outlining how extreme weather, brought on by our use of Earth's resources, causes loss of nature and human life around the world. The summer of 2023 broke records for high ocean temperatures and melting polar ice, and abnormally potent floods and fires touched all corners of the Earth. Industrial production of goods, and the personal choices that purchase them, are responsible for massive amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG), including carbon dioxide and methane. GHG emissions thicken the Earth's atmosphere and continue the destabilization of the climate. It's an all-encompassing phenomenon that asks us to reevaluate our relationship with the world: how we extract, consume, and dispose of renewable and non-renewable resources. The United States ranks second in the world for GHG emissions. Transportation is the most significant GHG-emitting sector of the US economy. Passenger vehicles contribute more than half of all transportation emissions. Electric vehicles may be one useful solution to reducing GHG emissions in this country. Rural schools and households have a unique opportunity to benefit from transportation electrification, if government subsidies and public charging infrastructure is in place. This portfolio of journalistic work explores the dynamics of emerging EV technology and to what extent the efficiency and reliability of these vehicles may reduce our climate impacts.
Recommended Citation
Liberatore, Amelia. 2023. "Electric Momentum: Dynamics of Transportation Electrification and Stories from the Road." MA Professional Paper. The University of Montana.
An interactive story map website conveying recent statistical and scientific research on the efficacy of private passenger light-duty EVs and their applicability to rural communities.
T.3_Draft5.docx (24 kB)
A journalistic article capturing a snapshot of Missoula and the surrounding area in the midst of the private passenger EV transition.
© Copyright 2023 Amelia Liberatore and Amelia R G Liberatore