“The Wheels on These Buses Go Round and Round With Zero Emissions.”

Ella Stupart

Mr. Ippolito

November 15, 2018

Current Event #8

Plumer, Brad. “The Wheels on These Buses Go Round and Round With Zero Emissions.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Nov. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/11/12/climate/electric-school-buses.html?rref=collection/sectioncollection/climate&action=click&contentCollection=climate®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront.

In his article “The Wheels on These Buses Go Round and Round With Zero Emissions”, Brad Plumer discusses a new environmentally friendly alternative to diesel fueled school buses. Traditional school buses expose children to dangerous exhaust and emit CO2 into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. According to the article, White Plains School District recently invested in five electric powered school buses which cost a whopping $365,000 each. White Plains was able to obtain the funds through a deal with Consolidated Edison. While many schools across the United States are trying to make a similar switch, many districts don’t have the funds. In attempt to make a change, many states are setting aside money to fund new electric powered school buses. The article mentions that some are against setting aside this money, arguing that the buses are too expensive to set aside enough money to fund enough buses to make a significant difference. The article introduces the refute that if more buses are purchased, production rates will go up and therefore price will go down. Despite these economic drawbacks, according to the article, these buses are 75% less expensive to fuel and 60% less expensive to maintain than traditional buses are. Some states still do not have the funds to provide schools with enough of these buses to make a difference in CO2 emission, but they are still working to introduce more environmentally friendly methods of fuel. For example, Arizona is working to switch to propane fuel, which is better for the environment than diesel fuel. Some are concerned with the safety and reliability of electric powered buses.While in 2016, schools in Massachusetts experienced issues with electric powered buses, White Plains has no complaints and the company which provides the buses, Lion Electric, says they have learned from their mistakes and are setting up a service center in New Jersey in case of issues. Additionally, White Plains school district claims that their new buses have led to educational opportunities and environmental awareness among their students. In this article, Plumer argues that electric buses are beneficial to the environment.  

Global warming has been a prominent issue in our society for a long time. Because it is such a lasting issue, I believe it often gets disregarded or forgotten by many, so it is important that we are coming together as a nation to make a change in our environment. While it may seem insignificant that one school district in the country now uses five electric powered buses, it is a big step towards a more sustainable future. Surrounding districts and states are using White Plains as an example for their own schools and coming up with new ways to fund this project. Like most movements, it starts with one group of people and creates a ripple effect until a huge change is created. Another important factor in this project is the educational factor. When students see that their district is switching to electric school buses, it draws curiosity and passion about the issue. Students will want to find out what else they can do to help with climate change which will create an even greater impact. I believe that the switch to electric powered school buses is a small, but significant piece to a huge movement that has the power to change the world.

This article was very effective in introducing the audience to the benefits of electric buses, but there are also a few areas in which it can be improved. The most important strength in this article is the variety of subjects that Plumer discussed, for example, the economic aspect, convenience, the environmental aspect, alternatives, and opposing views were all mentioned. The wide range of subtopics allowed for the author to answer the audience’s questions as they read the article. Even though he had many topics to discuss, Plumer introduced his ideas in a clear and logical manner; the article flows well and is easy to understand. He also does a sufficient job at introducing and refuting opposition without forming a bias. Instead of stating his own opinion, he refutes claims using the opinions of electric-bus companies and supporting statistics from reliable sources including Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Although this was a strong article, I wish that Plumer elaborated more on how bad current diesel fuel school buses are for the environment in contrast with the new electric buses. He should have included statistics and further information on how much gas is emitted from current school buses and how it affects the health of children and the environment. He also could have included the projected long term effects if more schools transition to using environmentally friendly methods of transportation. This would create context for the magnitude of the issue and would inspire the audience to make a difference if they were informed on how it may affect them personally.