Introduction The transport sector influences air pollution. Pollutants like carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour (H20) are known to be the most important transport emissions to the atmosphere. The use of vehicles in the roads affects air emission pollution and the combustion of fuel takes place when vehicles are used. As a consequence, this combustion process emits gases that affects the environment. In addition, “road traffic exhaust emissions have been the cause of much concern about the effects of urban air quality on human health and tropospheric ozone production” (Colvile, Hutchinson, Mindel & Warren , 2000, p. 1537). By reducing air pollution, diseases like lung cancer, and respiratory issues could be significantly reduced. Nowadays there are strategies being used to reduce this type of pollution. Therefore, strategies like the usage of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes and effective programs like cap-and-trade are taken place in many parts of the world in order to reduce the air emissions pollutants in the transportation sector. For example, HOV lanes are implemented in countries like Canada, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Australia, Africa and USA. Background Griffin (2007) “Air pollution has been around as long as man has walked the earth” (p.1). Human activities in order to satisfy the human’s needs have affected the environment. For example, back in the days, the methods of transport that are seen nowadays were not invented. People used to walk longer distances or use animals to get to their final destination. After the methods of transport were invented the amount of pollution emitted into the atmosphere have been increasing. In addition,the air pollution emissions gen... ... middle of paper ... ...pollution. Therefore in “August 2011, at the request of the President Obama, the Department of Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , and the California Air Resource Board (CARB) announced an agreement with the major automakers to sharply reduce fuel consumption by another 4 to 5%” ( Sperling & Nichols, 2002, p.60). It is noticeable that the number of vehicles per licensed driver has increased during the past year. Before, there were like two cars per family, but nowadays each member of the family has their own car. In order to be able to reduce GHG emissions, people should drive less, and cities that do not invest a lot of money on public transportation, need to change their mentality and start investing on it. In addition, “Better roads maintenance and traffic management can also reduce excess emissions” (Sperling & Nichols, 2002, p.64).
... removing and/or stopping the pollution that is emitted into the air from large refineries or factories. In fact, the essay claims that “Of several techniques to remove pollution during industrial coal combustion, perhaps the most effective is ‘scrubbing,’ in which gases are washed in a desulphurizing bath before going into the atmosphere.” This is informative because it shows that there is a way control acid rain. Similarly, the essay stated many different ways in which everyday people could help control the amount of pollution that is discharged into the air. A solution like carpooling so that the amount of pollutants that are emitted into the air are lowered is just one of the many ways discussed in the essay for society to lower the pollution in the air. The informative way in which Robert Collins presented his idea’s added to the effectiveness of the essay.
When we think of air pollution we think of the refineries in our cities and the exhaust coming from our cars mostly. In reality there are many more pollutants that we don't think about every day. The six most common air pollutants are; “Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen oxides, Sulphur oxides, Particulate matter, Volatile organic compounds, and Ground-level ozone (nitrogen oxide and Volatile organic compounds reaction)”(David Suzuki Foundation). The fact is people are dying from air pollution and we are doing nothing to make it better, in fact air pollution is getting worse.
Pollution is a major problem for all of us. People need to recognize this situation so we can start making a difference to this problem. In order to start making a difference, the federal government should increase gasoline tax by one dollar a gallon. Fifty percent of this dollar will go towards public transportation, since passenger cars and trucks are a major contribution towards air pollution, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, E.P.A (10/4, http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/emsns.html). Due to the expected increase after this is put forth, the remaining fifty percent of the dollar will go towards safety on these transits. When public transportation increases, air pollution will decrease, which will lessen the harmful health risks towards the environment.
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...
Fortunately, Mexico City is doing a lot in response to the problem, including vehicle control, mass transit improvements, required industry emission reductions, and investing in research and education programs. Regardless of these actions, however, Mexico City’s air quality is still significantly affecting the quality of life for its residents, and the city must continue to make changes in order for real progress to occur. Vehicles are responsible for up to eighty percent of air pollution in Mexico. There are close to four million automobiles, buses, and trucks in the city, the average of which is ten years old, and thus in poor repair with ineffective emission controls. Emissions are increased by the excessive traffic compressed into narrow streets with few parking spaces, requiring low-speed cruising (Collins, 125).
Newman, P. (1999). Transport: reducing automobile dependence. In D. Satterthwaite (Ed.), The Earthscan reader in sustainable cities (pp. 67-92). London: Earthscan Publications.
Central idea: The involvement of technology has change the Earth’s atmosphere, it is important to understand how can air pollution in the community, and how it involves with the emissions of vehicles.
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.
Until 10 years ago, air pollution was thought to be just an urban or local problem until it was discovered that the pollutants could move across continents and oceans. Air pollution is the fundamental factor that causes greenhouse gases, hence climate change and global warming. Air pollutants are the waste products generated from industrial and other processes. They usually come in gases, though aerosols (particles suspended in air, emitted as or formed by transformatio...
Evo Morales stated, “Sooner or later, we will have to recognize that the Earth has rights too, to live without pollution. What mankind must know is that human beings cannot live without Mother Earth, but the planet can live without humans” (Pollution Quotes, 2013). Hence, attention must be provided to this devastating issue. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that causes adverse changes (Wieman, 2013). There are numerous types of pollution, such as light, air, land, water, noise, thermal and radioactive pollution. In an article, the author highlighted that according to Richard Buckminster Fuller, “Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting, we allow them to disperse because we’ve been ignorant of their value” (Farrell, 1971, p. 52). Pollution is created mostly by human actions, but can also be a result of natural disasters. Pollution can harm the environment of the world and its inhabitants in many ways. Pollution has a detrimental effect on any living organism in an environment, making it virtually impossible to sustain life (Enclyopedia - Pollution, 2008).
Both of the two auto vehicles are brought into the human industry as the use of benefit students’ lives become more convenient traveler. In commons, the two automobile created opportunities jobs in the economic companies’ nation. Plus, several students did not noticed that both cars and public transportation have one major similar concept where two of the transit vehicle produce environmental pollution, traffic congestion, and oil consumption problems. Encounter, the public transportation and cars can cause a huge impact to the environmental which it can lead human health problems. Mostly, both of the automobile still release noxious gases into the air, and over time the built up can change the environment global warming to like an unhealthy
Global warming occurs when greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and other pollutants collect in the atmosphere and absorb solar radiation that has reflected off the Earth’s surface. This leads to what is most commonly known as the greenhouse effect, as well as radiative forcing. In the United States, the burning of fossil fuels for electricity accounts for most of the heat trapping pollution in our atmosphere, creating nearly two billion tons of carbon dioxide each year. The second largest source of heat trapping pollution is caused by modes transportation such as automobiles, creating nearly 1.7 billion tons of emissions per year. In an attempt to reduce the amount of pollution caused by vehicle emissions, cities such as Chicago, Illinois require emissions testing before license plates can be renewed. With the global population growing, the demand for energy is growing as well. We can expect to see an increase in pollution unless action is taken to reduce it (MacMillan,
Warmer global temperatures affect farming, wildlife, sea levels and natural landscapes. The effects of car pollution are widespread, affecting air, soil and water quality. Nitrous oxide contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer, which shields the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide mix with rainwater to create acid rain, which damages crops, forests and other vegetation and buildings. Oil and fuel spills from cars and trucks seep into the soil near highways, and discarded fuel and particulates from vehicle emissions contaminate lakes, rivers and wetlands. Air pollution from cars and trucks is split into primary and secondary pollution. Primary pollution is emitted directly into the atmosphere; secondary pollution results from chemical reactions between pollutants in the atmosphere. The following are the major pollutants from motor vehicles: Particulate matter (PM), Hydrocarbons (HC), Nitrogen oxides (Nix), Carbon monoxide (CO), Sulfur dioxide (SO2), Hazardous air pollutants (toxics), Greenhouse
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.
In this modern era, the level of pollution worldwide has been increasing consistently which in turn has brought harm to humans via many different ways. Consequently, the government must find a solution to solve this problem as speedily as possible. However, banning the ownership of private vehicles is not the only and definitely not the best way to decrease pollution. Although carbon emissions from vehicles do contribute towards a significant amount of pollution, banning the ownership of private vehicles in modern day society is unnecessary because pollution can also be caused by many other factors such as bad lifestyle choices on humanity’s part, lack of stricter or enforcement of environmental laws by governments as well as the fact that vehicles are an essential part of modern city life.