Final answer:
The best approximation for the total amount of fuel that would be saved in the next 5 years if half of the long haul freight currently moved by truck were instead moved by train is 25 billion liters.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order to approximate the total amount of fuel that would be saved if half of the long haul freight currently moved by trucks were instead moved by train, we need to calculate the difference in fuel consumption between the two modes of transportation.
According to the information provided, long-haul trucks achieve a fuel economy of around 6 miles per gallon (40 L/100 km) of fuel. Assuming that half of the freight currently moved by truck is instead moved by train, we can estimate the fuel savings as follows:
Calculate the total fuel consumption for the current amount of freight moved by trucks in 5 years.
Calculate the amount of fuel that would be consumed if half of the freight is moved by train in 5 years.
Subtract the fuel consumption for the train from the fuel consumption for the trucks to find the fuel savings.
Since the exact amount of freight being moved is not provided, we cannot calculate the precise total amount of fuel saved. However, based on the information given, we can estimate that the fuel savings would be significant, likely in the range of billions of liters.
Therefore, the best approximation for the total amount of fuel that would be saved in the next 5 years is 25 billion liters.