NEW YORK — A new Institute for Transportation & Development Policy study finds that if the world's large cities make a serious effort to improve public transportation, the nation could collectively save $100 trillion and cut emissions from urban transit by 40% by 2050, reported Fast Company.

The study looked at two possibilities for the year 2050 — what would happen if cities continue with business as usual, and what would happen if they start to follow some of the most transit-friendly cities today, like Copenhagen or Tokyo. The researchers were especially interested in developing countries like China, where carbon pollution from transportation is expected to balloon by about 600% if nothing changes. For the full story, click here.