Effects of Automobiles
Think for a second here, what do you use almost every day to get to where you need to go? An automobile is probably what you are thinking of because just about everyone has one. Automobiles have become so common; nine out of every ten families in the United States own some type of vehicle. Now Imagine going through everyday life without one it would be nearly impossible! Automobiles have had a very positive impact on the world and on many people’s lives. However they have also taken quite a negative effect on the world and in life. Automobiles make it very easy to get to and from where you are going. Although automobiles have polluted the world and have taken lots of natural resources to keep going they are still a nice luxury many cannot live without. Automobiles are very reliable if they are kept in good condition and would not have to rely on public transportation.
To begin the negative effects of automobiles are very mild and should not be taken too seriously although it sounds bad the positive outweighs the negative. Automobiles deplete a good amount of natural resources such as steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, and rubber (The Environmental Impact of Automobiles). Because of automobiles air pollution has lost wheat, corn, soybean, peanut crops about one point nine to 4 billion dollars in crops (The Environmental Impact of Automobiles). The U.S alone uses over 10.8 million barrels of oil each day just to keep automobiles running (The Environmental Impact of Automobiles).
Next, many people have either died or have been injured in motor vehicle accidents, each year there are about 5 million people injured in vehicle related accidents (The Environmental Impact of Automobiles). Although this all m...
... middle of paper ...
...nced technology that we cannot live without in modern life. Our lives are based on our automobiles, without them most of us cannot perform everyday task such as going to work/school or go to places for entertainment and relaxation.
Works Cited
“Automobiles” Angelfire.com. 2002. Web. 13 December 2013
Haugen, David M. Cars. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Print.
Melosi, Martin V. “The Automobile Shapes the City.” Automobiles in American Life and Society. 2004-2010. Web. 26 November 2013.
“The Age of the Automobiles.” U.S History. 2008. Web. 13 December 2014
“The Automobile” HTI.com. Web. 13 December 2014
“The Environmental Impact of Automobiles.” Environmental Action Spring 1996:40. ProQuest. Web. 20 November 2013
“The History of the Auomobile” The Impact of the automobiles on the 20th century. Web. 13 December 2014.
There is no doubt that automobile plays an inevitable role in the world’s history, especially in the history of America. Both Kline and Pinch and Flink are on the problem of automobile, but they certainly have various focus. In Three stages of American automobile consciousness written by Flink, it divides the auto history into three stages and mainly argues about the history or the development of automobile industry in America, which is written in a big picture. On the other hand, Kine and Pinch tend to discuss the connection between rural area and automobile, also how gender get involved in the social construction after cars are brought to the America.
In Christopher Wells’ book Car Country: An Environmental History he starts by speaking about his experience over the years with automobiles. He describes how happy he was to own his first automobile. Mr. Wells goes into detail about the inconveniences of driving in towns where everything is fairly accessible, and the necessity of an automobile in major cities. Although Mr. Wells enjoyed his first car, his local surrounding helped shape the attitude he has towards motor vehicles to this day. Mr. Wells also argued that car dependence in America is connected with the landscape. Wells rejects the notion that America ‘s automobile landscape emerged as a byproduct of consumer’s desires for motor vehicles or as the result of conspiracies to eliminate
Starting in the late 1700’s, European engineers began messing with motor powered vehicles. By the mid 1800’s, steam, combustion, and electrical motors had all been attempted. By the 1900’s it wasn’t very clear on which type of engine would really power the automobile. At that time, electric cars were the most popular but there were no batteries at that time that would allow a car to move very fast or a long distance. Commercial production in the United States began at the beginning of the 1900’s. In the early 1900’s, the United States had about two thousand firms producing one or more cars.
In the July 1997 issue of Commentary, James Q. Wilson challenges the consensus among academia’s finest regarding the automobile in his bold article, Cars and Their Enemies. Directed towards the general public, his article discredits many of the supposed negatives of the automobile raised by experts, proves that the personal car is thriving and will continue to thrive because it meets individual preference over other means of transportation, as well as presents solutions to the social costs of cars. Wilson emphasizes that no matter what is said and done in eliminating the social costs of the automobile, experts are not going to stop campaigning against it.
Automobiles play a major role in today's society. Almost every American owns at least one motorized transportation vehicle. Some say they make our lives better by reaching places faster than before. Others say they are a harmful to the environment. Have they made our society better or worse? They may be fast, but do we as humans want our environment to suffer because of time. Face it, cars pollute. And they release destructive chemicals into the air. Air pollution can threaten the health of many subjects in the environment including human beings.
In the twentieth century, the introduction of the motor vehicle in the United States became not only noteworthy, but also vital in the development of modern American civilization. This technologically complex machine led citizens to vast future dependence on the invention. While mobility was suddenly not limited to alternative, more convoluted options such as railroad stations or bicycles, yet copiously amplified to aid convenience and expanded leisure opportunities. From auto-racing to redesigning infrastructure, motor vehicles allowed progression, digression, and essentially uttermost change to the lifestyles of the American people. This radical idea of the automobile permeated throughout America with most, if not all, credit renowned to Henry Ford.
Car culture had caused some serious headaches for city planners in the 1950s. They had not anticipated the added traffic when building cities and were forced to adjust their plans with mixed results. There were many side effects to the restructuring of the city, and most were not good for the city center. Business and customers were no longer funneled into the now crowded city center in favor of the more spacious and convenient periphery. Community life as well as business in the city center really suffered as a result of suburbanization caused by the car. Jane Jacobs says in her chapter called "Erosion of Cities or Attrition of Automobiles" in the book Autopia, "Today everyone who values cities is disturbed by automobiles (259...
Automobiles play an essential role in American society. As if being the major means of transportation was not impressive enough, automotives can be seen on T.V., in movies, in magazines, and can sometimes be indicative of a person’s wealth and social status. On average, Americans drive nearly 40 miles and drive for just over 50 minutes driving per person per day (http://www.bts.gov). That means a person spends roughly one-sixteenth of a day driving. It would make sense, then, to make such an essential part of society as efficient, cost effective, and clean as possible. However, that is not the case. As the years have passed cars have actually begun to move away from efficiency. Hawken writes, “[The automobile] design process has made cars ever heavier, more complex, and usually costlier. These are all unmistakable signs that automaking has beco...
Wachs, Martin. "The Automobile and Gender: an Historical Perspective." University of Califonia Journal. Proquest. Richter Library, Miami.
JK Rowling is one of the most influential authors of our time, breaking boundaries and creating an alternate reality in a world far from anyones imagination. The series she is most well known for is the Harry Potter series. The series is seven books accompanied by eight movies. The tale starts with a young boy named Harry, whose parents died, from the sinister Voldemort. The series takes a bunch of twist and turns that ultimately lead to Voldemort 's death. Although, Harry and Voldemort want to destroy one another, they have some undoubtedly strong connections that are undeniable. JK Rowling has said that the connections between Harry and Voldemort range from childhood, through the death of Voldemort. The story of Voldemort and Harry begins
Today, people use their own personal vehicles to travel more than ever before. Personal transportation is no longer considered a luxury; it is now considered a necessity. The number of cars in the United States has been growing steadily since the 1970s. The number of miles traveled by cars has risen nearly 150 percent, yet the United States population has only grown roughly 40 percent during that time (hybridcars.com, Driving Trends). Although it may seem like we are advancing into the future, in reality, we are moving backwards from the effects these vehicles have on our bodies and the environment. The pollution produced by these vehicles has brought us to the day where we must find other modes of transportation that cause less harm to the world in which we live. Advances in technology have developed hybrid vehicles to try and slow down the amount of pollution. Driving a hybrid vehicle, instead of a conventional gas powered vehicle, can reduce the amount of pollution that affects our lives and the environment around us.
...ck and a potential pitfall. Someone full of hate and greed, such as Tom Marvolo Riddle, who has never known it even once in their entire life, cannot understand its full magical power. Love is one of the hardest and strongest kinds of magic and is perhaps the fabric that holds the wizarding world of Harry Potter together. Dumbledore says to Harry “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all those who live without love” (Harry Potter and the Deathly Halllows 722). The series stresses that it is important to love. It is obvious throughout the series that Harry embraces his history and duty by accepting the soul-purifying act of practicing self-sacrificial love. It is no surprise that the Harry Potter series is so widely in a time of fear, uncertainty, and unrest. Harry defeats evil not by fearing it, but by embracing it and overcoming it with love.
3. Encyclopedia Brittanica Inc. "Automobile" The New Encyclopedia Brittanica: Macropedia 15th Edition 1990 (volume 1)
Car pollutants cause immediate and long-term effects on the environment. Car exhausts emit a wide range of gases and solid matter, causing global warming, acid rain, and harming the environment and human health. Engine noise and fuel spills also cause pollution. Cars, trucks and other forms of transportation are the single largest contributor to air pollution in the United States, but car owners can reduce their vehicle's effects on the environment. Car pollution is one of the major causes of global warming. Cars and trucks emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which contribute one-fifth of the United States' total global warming pollution. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, which causes worldwide temperatures to rise.
The fast population growth rate of humans means that the necessity for transportation vehicles is also enormously increasing. Studies have shown that in 1999 the worldwide number of vehicles registered was 700 million. From this huge number of vehicles, the US has a large share, which includes 200 million cars and light trucks. The number of cars worldwide also grew three times faster Competition for good things like public health, making the earth safe to live are positive aspects of competition, but global competition can also have a downside concerning the environment. This is true for the production of vehicles, as companies are coming with designs and new models with improved engines, but fuel consumption and the pollution of the air remains the same.