Excerpt from transportation and our nation's energy consumption robert j. shapiro, conserving energy and preserving the environment: the role of public transportation 8 conserving energy and preserving the environment: the role of public transportation concludes that making much greater use of public transportation may be the most effective strategy to sharply reduce our dependence on foreign oil and make historic strides in environmental quality. the study argues that these results can be achieved if we make public transportation a vital part of our nation's energy and environmental policies. what is the purpose of paragraph eight? a) to encourage further research. b) to introduce the topic of conservation c) to provide further resources on the topic d) to summarize the conclusions of the report