The environmental cost of free two-day shipping

When it comes to buying stuff, I’ve often wondered how did I live without online shopping?
當談到買東西時，我經常思考自己之前是如何在非線上購物時代存活下來的

I mean literally today anything I want is available to me 24/7.
現今我想要的東西24小時隨時都可以獲得

I can buy anything anytime. In fact 79% of Americans shop online.
我可以在任何時候購物；事實上，79%的美國人都在線上買東西

This happens when they’re laying in bed, while they’re out with friends having a
drink.
不管是躺在床上或是跟朋友外出小酌時都可以線上購物

It turns out actually one in five us shop online while we’re using the bathroom.
結果指出5位之中就有1個人會在上廁所時線上購物

All this stuff we’re buying magically appears on our doorstep.
所有的下標商品則神奇地出現在我們的家門口

But what effect does all this shopping have on the planet?
但這樣的購物方式對於地球有什麼影響?

Delivery services ship a lot more packages now because of online shopping.
快遞公司因線上購物的緣故則運送比以往更多包裹

Since 2009 US Postal Service deliveries increased by 65%.
自2009年，美國郵政署的運貨量增加65%

And during the holidays, UPS deliveries have increased by 260 million packages since 2010.
而自2010年，美國郵政署的運貨量在假期時則會增加約26億件包裹

Now for the most part, if you compare online shopping with driving to the store, online
shopping has a smaller carbon footprint.
大多情況下，當你比較線上購物和直接開車到商店時，線上購物會產生較少的碳足跡

But there’s a catch.
但也有負面影響

It's only better for the environment if you don't get rushed delivery.
只有當你選擇非快速包裹才有助於環境

Most of us, including me, are choosing faster delivery like two day shipping because most
of the time it's free.
大多數人，包括我都會選擇快速交付包裹因為通常都是免費的
Why wouldn’t we want it right away?
我們為什麼不會想要立刻拿到?

But it isn’t just a time difference, it’s an environmental difference.
但不只是時間差異而是影響環境的問題

All these faster deliveries mean more trucks on the road and that’s causing more greenhouse gases.
這些快速支付包裹代表著更多卡車在路上運行，進而產生更多溫室氣體

And that means more global warming.
這也意味著全球暖化將會惡化

When we choose two-day shipping, deliveries often come in multiple packages.
當我們選擇兩天到貨服務，通常會收到許多個包裹

Let’s say I buy some dish soap and a pair of socks.
假設我買了洗碗精和一雙襪子

The shipping warehouse near me might be out of dish soap, so they fly some in from another state.
我家附近的運輸倉庫可能沒有洗碗精了，所以他們需要從另一州運進來

Meanwhile, those socks, they’re getting sent to me on a separate truck.
同時，我的襪子則被另外的卡車載來

Also, the company is trying to get it to me quickly, so trucks are often sent out only
half full -- If there was more flexibility in timing, they could fill them up all the way.
公司因為想要盡快把貨送到，通常卡車還沒奘滿就已經出貨；如果時間上較彈性，他們就可以確實地把卡車載滿

If you know you have five-day delivery window,you can wait from all the products to come
in from different sources, consolidate the shipment, and send it.
如果知道自己有5天到貨的時間，等來自不同地區的包裹到齊後合併然後再寄出

And now you can wait for many customers’ orders to come in and consolidate that into,
let’s say, a full truckload.
你現在可以等客戶們的訂單進貨後裝載於一卡車內

This is Miguel Jaller.
這位是Miguel Jaller

He studies sustainable transportation at the University of California, Davis.
他在加利福尼亞大學戴維斯分校專攻永續運輸

By picking the longer delivery window, I’m giving the company more time to find the most
efficient way to get a product to me.
選擇較長到貨時間的同時也給予公司機會選擇最有效益的方式出貨

Another problem is with returns.
退貨是另一個問題

So one of the things that companies made is offering this reliable and fast and almost
free return option.
公司承諾提供快速、可靠且幾乎免費的退貨方式

So now as a customer, I can actually try the product, even if I don’t have any store
to go to, because if I don’t like it or it doesn’t fit, I can actually return it
現在消費者可以試用產品，如果不喜歡或是尺寸不對都可以免費退貨

at no cost.

So like with buying clothes, if I shop online and pick the ‘try before you buy’ option,
當我在線上挑選衣服時選擇購買前試用

it would be like saying a delivery truck is driving back and forth just to find me the
right stuff.
就好比讓貨車來來回回直到我挑到合適的衣服

So what are companies trying to do?
公司到底想要做什麼?

When you think of the future of online shipping, you might imagine drones and driverless cars.
當你想像未來的線上購物會聯想到無人機和自動駕駛汽車

But today’s solutions are more about keeping traffic moving along, like with wifi traffic
現金解決之道試圖減少交通堵塞，像交通信號燈

lights that let truckers know ahead of time when the light will turn red.
讓貨車司機可以提前知道變燈時間

This cuts down on idling at the light and wasting fuel.
減少空轉時間和降低燃料使用

We’re now starting to transmit the timing of those traffic lights, in anticipation for
that, they might want to speed up a little bit or slow down 
我們現在開始傳送交通信號燈的定時，試圖讓司機適時地加速和減速

or do these certain little velocity changes so that they increase their chances of getting through that light.
速度的變化讓他們可以有機會通過紅綠燈

This is Matt Barth at the University of California, Riverside.
Matt Barth，位於加州福尼亞大學河濱分校

He’s looking at ways trucks can reduce their transit footprint.
他在尋找降低卡車輸送足跡的方式

You can essentially smooth out your patterns of travel.
基本上你可以鋪平道路形式

And when you smooth out your travel patterns, you get those fuel-economy benefits.
當你鋪平道路形式時即可獲得汽車燃油經濟性的好處

Cities like San Jose and Las Vegas are already testing out this traffic light technology.
城市像聖荷西拉斯維加斯已經開始測試信號燈科技

You can save 15 to 20 percent fuel just by doing those type of activities.
這些測試活動可以保存15-20%的燃料

And on the highway, trucks are now starting to talk to each other -- it’s called truck
platooning.
汽車運輸排--卡車現在會在高速公路上互相傳達訊息

You can think of it like cruise control except its transmitting the truck’s speed to the
other vehicles following behind.
你可以想像成巡航定速加上傳送卡車時速給後方來車的功能

This lets all the trucks drive in unison at the same speed close behind each other.
讓所有卡車司機能以一致時速維持同樣的車距

What they’re doing is trying to reduce the drag.
他們試圖減少拉拖曳

The narrow gaps they create between each other shields the trucks that are following from
wind resistance.
所在的狹隘距離替隨行車庇擋風阻力

And so there’s been a number of experiments worldwide that have shown, you know, you can get 10 to 15, 20 percent energy savings, fuel savings by doing that type of platooning.
全球實驗量證實類似汽車運輸排的活動確實可以保存10-20%燃料

Now delivery companies have been tackling fuel use and emissions for decades.
運輸公司幾十年來試圖處理燃料使用及排放

Take UPS.
以寄件與物流服務來說

Since the 1970s they’ve encouraged drivers to eliminate left hand turns, reducing their
emissions by 100,000 metric tons.
自1970年代他們就呼籲廢除左向旋轉順勢減少約10萬公噸的排放量

That’s like taking 21,000 cars off the road.
等同於移除馬路上約2萬台汽車

So there are ways companies can shrink their carbon footprint, 
運輸公司是可以想辦法來減少碳足跡的

but what if they were better about changing customer behavior – like getting us to be conscious about how we shop online?
如果他們有更好的方式可以來改變消費者行為像是讓我們意識到自己的購物習慣

I’ve always picked that 2 day option because to be honest never really thought about it,
我習慣勾選2天到貨的選項因為說實在地我以前從沒認真想過

but what if companies offered a green option?
但假設運輸公司提供環保選擇呢?

So if you just check a box they would just ship stuff to you in the most energy efficient
way possible.
所以只要你點選環保選項他們就會以最節省能源的方式來出貨

Sure, maybe it takes a little bit longer, but that’s something I’d actually be willing
to do.
當然這可能會花上更多時間但是我願意等待

I mean every now and again, I might need something right away.
可能時不時我會急需某個東西

But I probably don’t need to overnight a delivery of socks to my front door.
但我大概不需要一雙襪子隔天就出現在我家門口

You probably do a lot of your online shopping with your smartphone.
大多數的你們幾乎都是以智慧手機來線上購物

Well watch our other episode to see what kind of impact these devices have on our planet.
那就鎖定我們另外一集節目主要說明這些裝置對於地球有什麼影響

 

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