A typical person’s daily life revolves around using fossil fuel whether it’s in cooking, electricity, heating, manufacturing or transportation, it’s no doubt useful in the modern society. But while enjoying the comfort it brings, the harm fossil fuel brings becomes forgotten until its effects start appearing. Have you thought of an eco-friendly vehicle?
Burning this fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide into the air.
Greenhouse gasses are usually helpful. In small amounts, it keeps heat from escaping back into space keeping the Earth and everyone living in it warm. When more heat gets trapped though, it may become less habitable.
In fact, the effects of the greenhouse effect are already visible, especially in today’s time. The rising of temperature has resulted in the unpredictable weather patterns, melting polar ice and glaciers, ocean acidification, and much more.
The sad part is this is a result of human activity. Since the industrialization of most nations, burning massive amount of fossil fuels had been the norm. With the transportation industry being the first in the list.
In the United States alone, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deemed the transportation sector to be one of the largest contributors to the anthropogenic U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on 2016, producing 28% of the greenhouse gas emissions alone.
A 2013 study also showed the same case for the United Kingdom with the transportation sector, releasing 26% GHG.
Road transport, mainly cars and trucks a great balk of emissions with more than 19 pounds per gallon coming out of their tailpipe.
If this continues, by 2020 emissions would grow to between 30-50%.
As someone who cares for the environment, you might be wondering what you can do to reduce burning fossil fuels emitted by cars. Simple acts of carpooling, walking (if the place isn’t that far) or using public transport is a great start to help the environment but sometimes not using a car is not an option.
Another option is to switch your automobiles to electronic or hybrid cars. You might have heard of them. Since the development of car technology, these types of vehicles are considered to be an excellent alternative to those who want to reduce their carbon footprint.
Traditional hybrid vehicles use up to 60% less fuels than the typical car. There are also electric vehicles that run solely on electricity. Driving one of these cars would not only lessen greenhouse gas emissions but also saves money on fuel.
Unfortunately, they also cost a lot of fortune. While you might save extra cash on the fuel, you’d have to worry about paying up front. Hybrid cars alone can cost $5000 – $10000 more than a regular patrol car.
Pure electric cars also pose a problem as they still release some levels of emission from their source of energy. If you wish for a genuinely sustainable electric vehicle, they need to be powered by clean and renewable energy sources such as solar and hydroelectricity.
While these eco-friendly cars are helpful to the environment, not everyone could afford them. Luckily, those who are willing to save the environment could find other ways to cut down your carbon footprint by turning your car into an eco-friendly vehicle as you’ll see in this infographic by Global Tint.
