A web of roads encircles the Earth and stretches 40 million miles. In Crossings, a new book by environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb, tarmac is exposed for the planet-shaping force it is – one that has polluted rivers and the air, emptied soils and woodlands, and struck fear into wild animals.
Roads are one of the most ubiquitous man-made features, existing on every continent and in most habitats. Their effects don’t end at the paved periphery either. While roads cover 1% of land in the US, their ecological effects – disruptive noise, foul air and habitat fragmentation, to name a few – extend over 20% of the country, according to Goldfarb.
Furthermore, transport is among the fastest-growing contributors to climate change, wildlife collisions with vehicles cause more than 59,000 human injuries in the US each year, and road design disproportionately burdens the health and welfare of low-income and minority communities.
