Hi guys! I’m back and so is my litany of charges against those irresponsible denizens of our planet. Don’t know how many of us have ever stopped to think when zipping around in our cars that it is among the most polluting acts we commit. Implications of air-pollution are manifold. We need not despair though. There is a silver lining in the cloud. Our grasp of this situation, late as it may be, and a remedial approach, translates into us having understood the very complex workings of our planet - the ecosystem, oceans, the atmosphere. It is a source of consolation. We also realize how the climate of our beleaguered planet is becoming unfriendly and being pushed toward instability. Don’t labor under the delusion that I’m exaggerating the harmful effects of needlessly driving your car. It was among the opening lines of this blog.
Cars, as personalities, if you will, are almost diametrically opposite. Just as there are the good guys and the bad guys, there are good cars that are less polluting and the bad cars that are more polluting. And the really bad guys, well, they are from the Dark. Manufacturers when deciding on how to position their mean machines or super stretch limos have tried to plumb the depths of the male psyche. What do men want? Status, prestige, power, beautiful women clamoring to be seen with them. That’s what would explain all those sculpted and chiseled women models at car shows in figure hugging, revealing outfits, leaning against or splayed across the hood of cars on display like some kind of rash. So what’s to stop car manufacturers from pandering to the male ego by positioning their latest offerings in such a way?
Driving your car all the way to work was common practice in North America and Europe. Even elsewhere in the world as cities grew they included suburbs, exurbs, bedroom communities and even towns within their municipal limits and went on to become conurbations. People increasingly began using cars to travel long distances to work. This increase sent emission levels through the roof despites endeavors in the form of antipollution devices. In the US and Canada smaller and lighters cars had started giving place to bigger cars like pick-up trucks and vans. A study in 2003 showed the average new vehicle that year as using more gasoline that its counterpart did fifteen years ago.
The US has left its imprint on world history with many path breaking inventions and developments in human life. But this is one area where its contribution will cause it to squirm. Greenhouse gases emitted by the US are the highest. In 2004 she produced as much as 6.049 billion tons of carbon dioxide. This was 16% more than her emissions in the late 90's.
Combating air pollution calls for a feeling of some compassion. Effects will be felt locally and globally too. Starting this very minute, if you own a car, cut down on the number of times you use it. Remember, every gallon of gasoline burned in your car’s engine is giving off 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. The spiraling cost of crude oil in 2008 persuaded near drastic changes in people’s driving habits. The curtains came down on plants of auto majors producing SUVs and pick up trucks. But, high fuel prices shouldn’t be the reason why people must try and overcome the temptation to buy big ostentatious cars or gas guzzlers. We have reached a stage where it is imperative that we put the interests of our environment before our own.
Electric cars have hit the road and continue to be developed. These give fair promise of becoming the future of urban transportation. These cars require little maintenance. However batteries these cars use are heavy, wear out fast due to repeated charging and require materials such as lithium that is both expensive and scarce. Small electric cars are certainly a good option, but can prove disastrous to its occupants in the event of a collision, unless in a city there are demarcated zones in which only these cars can operate or ply.
Hybrid cars are also an alternative to conventional automobile engines. But the world will have to take to these cars in a big way for any impact on air pollution to be notably felt.
My next post shall be on the least polluting cars and may be some polluting cars as well according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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