I mean literally today anything I want is available to me 24/7.

因為現在，一天中的任何時候我都可以隨時取得我想要的東西，毫不誇張。

I can buy anything anytime.

我隨時可以買任何東西。

In fact 79% of Americans shop online.

實際上，79% 的美國人都選擇線上購物。

This happens when they're laying in bed, while they're out with friends having a drink.

當他們躺在床上時、跟朋友出去喝一杯時，都能逛網拍。

It turns out actually one in five of us shop online while we're using the bathroom.

其實，我們每 5 個人當中就有 1 人在他上廁所的時候上網買東西。

All this stuff we're buying sort of magically appears on our doorstep.

我們買的這些東西都會很神奇的出現在家門口的階梯上。

But what effect does all this shopping have on the planet?

但是，這些購物行為會對地球造成什麼影響呢？

Delivery services ship a lot more packages now because of online shopping.

因為線上購物，貨運業現在運送的包裹量增加了許多。

Since 2009 US Postal Service deliveries increased by 65%.

自 2009 年起，美國郵政貨運服務成長了 65%。

And during the holidays, UPS deliveries have increased by 260 million packages since 2010.

而且，2010 年至今，於假期間，美國郵政貨運服務增加了 2 億 6 千個包裹。

Now for the most part, if you compare online shopping with driving to the store, online shopping has a smaller carbon footprint.

大多數的情況下，如果你拿線上購物跟開車到實體店面相比，線上購物產生較少的碳足跡。

But there's a catch.

但這其中有詐。

It's only better for the environment if you don't get rushed delivery.

只有非快速到貨的選項，線上購物才會比實體店面購買商品好一些。

Most of us, including me, are choosing faster delivery like two day shipping because most of the time it's free.

大部份的人，包括我在內，都會選則快速貨運，像是兩日到貨，因為那通常是免費的。

Why wouldn't we want it right away?

誰不會想要趕快收到包裹？

But it isn't just a time difference, it's an environmental difference.

那這不單單只是時間上的差異，這是環境上的差異。

All these faster deliveries means way more trucks on the road and that's causing more greenhouse gases.

所有的快速到貨都意味著要派遣更多的貨運車上錄，而貨車會製造更多的溫室氣體。

And that means more global warming.

這也就表示，全球暖化會更嚴重。

When we choose two-day shipping, deliveries often come in multiple packages.

當我們選擇兩日到貨時，包裹通常是以多個包裹的方式遞送。

Let's say I buy some dish soap and a pair of socks.

比方說我買了洗碗精跟一雙襪子。

The shipping warehouse near me might be out of dish soap, so they fly some in from another state.

離我較近的貨運倉儲有可能沒有洗碗精，所以他們會從其他州空運一些過來。

Meanwhile, those socks, they're getting sent to me on a separate truck.

在此同時，那些襪子會由另一輛貨車送到我這。

Also, the company is trying to get it to me quickly, so trucks are often sent out only half fullㄡ

再來，公司會想快點將貨品送給我，所以，貨車通常半滿就發車了。

If there was more flexibility in timing, they could fill them up all the way.

如果時間上較彈性的話，他們可以將車廂裝滿。

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.

如果你有五天的配送期，你可以等所有的貨品從不同的出貨地點匯集之後，再進行配送。

And now you can wait for many customers' orders to come in and consolidate that into, let's say, a full truckload.

現在你也可以等更多顧客的訂單進來，再集合成，譬如說，集合成一貨車的量。

This is Miguel Jaller.

這是 Miguel Jaller。

He studies sustainable transportation at the University of California, Davis.

他於加洲大學戴維斯分校研究永續運輸。

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.

選擇了較長的配送期，就能讓公司有更多時間找到最有效率的方法將貨物送到我手中。

Another problem is with returns.

另一個問題跟退貨有關。

So one of the things that companies made is offering this reliable and fast and almost free return option.

許多公司採取的策略之一是提供可靠、快速且幾乎免費的退貨服務。

So now as a customer, I can actually try the product, even if I don't have any store to go to,

現在，身為一位消費者，我能夠真正的試用產品，即使我沒有去任何商店，

because if I don't like it or it doesn't fit, I can actually return it at no cost.

因為如果我不喜歡，或是它不適用，我實際上可以免費退貨。

So like with buying clothes, if I shop online and pick the 'try before you buy' option,

那麼，就像買衣服，如果我買網拍時選了「先試後買」的選項，

it would be the same as saying a delivery truck is driving back and forth just to find me the right stuff.

這就會變成，送貨車來來回回只是為了幫我找到適合的東西。

So what are companies trying to do?

所以，這些公司會到底想達成什麼？

When you think of the future of online shipping, you might imagine drones and driverless cars.

當你想到未來的線上購物時，你可能會猜想到無人機和無人駕駛汽車。

But today's solutions are more about keeping traffic moving along, like with wifi traffic lights

但今天的解決方案比較是關於保持交通暢通，像是利用無線交通號誌

that let truckers know ahead of time when the light will turn red.

讓貨車司機知道前方的號誌什麼時候會變紅燈。

This cuts down on idling at the light and wasting fuel.

這減少了等紅燈時車子空轉的時間，以及燃料的浪費。

We're now starting to transmit the timing of those traffic lights,

我們現在正開始傳送那些交通號誌變燈的時間給司機，

in anticipation for that, they might want to speed up a little bit or slow down or do these certain little velocity changes

希望這些數據能讓他們知道什麼時候可以加速或放慢，做特定的速度微調，

so that they increase their chances of getting through that light.

如此一來，他們可以增加通過交通號誌的機會。

This is Matt Barth at the University of California, Riverside.

這是加州大學河濱分校的 Matt Barth。

He's looking at ways that trucks can reduce their transit footprint.

他正在研究方法來減低貨車送貨時產生的碳足跡。

You can essentially smooth out your patterns of travel.

你基本上可以改善你的旅運型態。

And when you smooth out your travel patterns, you get those fuel-economy benefits.

而當你轉變旅運型態後，你會得到一個所謂燃料經濟的效益。

Cities like San Jose and Las Vegas are already testing out this traffic light technology.

像聖荷西及拉斯維加斯那樣的城市已經開始測試這種交通號誌的技術。

You can save 15 to 20 percent fuel just by doing those type of activities.

執行那類型的行動就可以省 15%-20% 的燃料。

And on the highway, trucks are actually now starting to talk to each other -- it's called truck platooning.

而在高速公路上，貨車現在已經開始跟彼此對話 -- 我們稱之貨車大隊。

You can think of it like cruise control except its transmitting the truck's speed to the other vehicles following behind.

你可以將其視為巡航監控，只是它是將貨車的速度傳輸到後方的其他車輛。

This lets all the trucks drive in unison at the same speed close behind each other.

這讓所有的貨車司機能以相同的速度一致接近著彼此向前開。

What they're doing is trying to reduce the drag.

他們在做的事是試圖減少阻力。

The narrow gaps they create between each other shields the trucks that are following from wind resistance.

每輛貨車中間狹小間隙能幫後方的貨車抵擋風阻。

And so there's been a number of experiments worldwide that have shown, you know,

所以，世界各地有許多實驗顯示出，

you can get 10 to 15, 20 percent energy savings, fuel savings by doing that type of platooning.

採用這類的貨車車隊，你可以節省百分之 10%-20% 的能源與燃料。

Now delivery companies have been tackling fuel use and emissions for decades.

送貨公司十幾年以來都在試著解決燃料使用及排放的問題。

Take UPS.

舉 UPS 為例。

Since the 1970s they've encouraged drivers to eliminate left hand turns, reducing their emissions by 100,000 metric tons.

打從 1970 年代起，他們便提倡貨車司機盡量不要左轉，減少了 10 萬公噸的排放量。

That's like taking 21,000 cars off the road.

這就好比減少 21,000 輛車上路。

So there are ways companies can shrink their carbon footprint, but what if they were better about changing customer behavior –

因此，有很多方法可以減少公司的碳足跡，但是如果這些方能若能有效改變消費者行為 --

like getting all of us to be conscious about how we shop online?

像是讓我們意識到自己線上購物的習慣及消費模式？

I've always picked that 2 day option because to be honest never really thought about it,

我總是選兩日送達的選項，因為，老實說我從來沒有思考過環保的問題，

but what if companies offered a green option?

但要是公司提供了一個環保的選項呢？

So if you just check a box they would just ship stuff to you in the most energy efficient way possible.

所以，如果你只要簡單的勾選，他們就會用最節能的方式將貨品送達。

Sure, maybe it takes a little longer, but that's something I'd actually be willing to do.

當然，這樣的配送時間或許會比較久，但我很樂意去做這件事。

I mean every now and again, I agree,I might need something right away.

我的意思是，我偶爾可能會馬上需要某些東西。

But I probably don't need overnight delivery of socks to my front door.

但我應該不需要隔日到貨的襪子出現在我家前門。

You probably do a lot of your online shopping with your smartphone.

你也許用手機買了很多網購。

Well watch our other episodes to see what kind of impact these devices have on our planet.

嗯那麼，看看我們其他集影片，來了解這些裝置會對我們的星球造成什麼影響。