Over time cars get cleaner due to federal regulations and technological improvements, but population growth means that there are more cars on the road. People drive more due to the lack of public transit investment. About 5% of vehicles on the road are electric and produce zero tailpipe emissions. Emissions produced from each building are similar to today’s emissions. Some additional construction costs are avoided, but utility bills remain higher. Due to all of these factors, air pollutants are produced at high levels as shown in the chart above. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change, continue to rise as the average household annually produces 13.1 metric tons from building energy use and 6.5 tons from vehicle use.
