Automobiles and the environment. Automobiles' Fuel Efficiency and the Environment 2022-11-16
Automobiles and the environment Rating:
8,5/10
610
reviews
Automobiles have played a significant role in shaping modern society and have greatly impacted the environment. On one hand, they have provided individuals with a convenient and efficient mode of transportation, allowing for increased mobility and connectivity. On the other hand, the production and use of automobiles have contributed to numerous environmental issues, including air pollution, climate change, and resource depletion.
One of the primary ways that automobiles impact the environment is through the emission of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2). The burning of fossil fuels, such as gasoline and diesel, to power vehicles is a major contributor to global warming and climate change. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), transportation is the largest contributor to CO2 emissions in the United States, accounting for nearly 30% of total emissions.
In addition to CO2, vehicles also emit other harmful pollutants, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter (PM). These pollutants can have detrimental effects on human health, particularly for individuals living in urban areas where traffic is heaviest. Air pollution from vehicles has been linked to a range of health problems, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease, asthma, and cancer.
The production of automobiles also has an environmental impact. The extraction and processing of raw materials, such as steel and plastic, for vehicle production can be resource-intensive and contribute to deforestation and habitat destruction. The transportation of these materials and finished vehicles also has an environmental impact due to the emissions from the vehicles used for transportation.
However, there are efforts being made to address the environmental impacts of automobiles. One way is through the development of alternative fuels and technologies. Electric and hybrid vehicles, which use electricity or a combination of electricity and fossil fuels, have significantly lower emissions compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. Biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, made from renewable sources, can also be used as an alternative to fossil fuels.
In addition to alternative fuels and technologies, there are also efforts to improve the fuel efficiency of traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. The EPA has established corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards that require automakers to increase the fuel efficiency of their vehicles. These standards have helped to decrease the amount of fuel consumed by vehicles, resulting in reduced emissions and a decrease in the amount of oil consumed.
Overall, automobiles have had a significant impact on the environment, both positive and negative. While they have provided individuals with a convenient and efficient mode of transportation, their production and use have contributed to numerous environmental issues. However, through the development of alternative fuels and technologies and improvements in fuel efficiency, it is possible to mitigate the negative impacts of automobiles on the environment.
Automobiles & the Environment
The most prominent harm to human body is to stimulate the eye and upper respiratory membrane. Vehicles that rely on internal combustion engines Internal combustion engines are the most common type of powertrain in vehicles. Rapid pumping of oil led to the introduction of salt water into the underground pools as well as into local water supplies. With little consideration of the way you perceive the relationship between the environment and automobiles, there are negative aspects right from the manufacturing process to the end mess which is piled in the junkyards. According to the oil production rate of 80%, the automobile oil in 2020 is equivalent to the total oil consumption of China in 2010. Ozone inflames lungs, causing chest pains and coughing and making it difficult to breathe. Possibly the most dramatic form of visual pollution in the automobile age is the derelict car along the side of the road.
Time has elapse when owning an automobile was a preserve for the rich and today, it has become a basic necessity McCarthy, 2007. The major structural components of a vehicle are the wheel base, front rails, and A, B, and C-pillar members. They are typically used for transportation and can seat anywhere from one to eight people. Avoiding congestion of cars reduces traffic jams hence easement of pace of traffic movement. Washington and Sacramento responded with investigations and studies. In the late 1940s, several states adopted more sophisticated petroleum conservation laws to protect groundwater and to reduce external damage caused by oil-field discharges.
It can also reduce green house effect depending on the crop growing requirements. Electric vehicles, for example, can travel farther on one joule of energy, while vehicles powered by internal combustion engines release more pollutants. In 2009, the total amount of world carbon dioxide emissions reached 30. With battery-powered electric vehicles, for example, no fuel is burned onboard the vehicle, and so nearly all of the fuel-cycle pollution and energy use occurs at electric power plants and in producing the fuels that run the power plants. Solar-powered cars use hundreds of photovoltaic cells which convert sunlight into electricity that drives the cars while some of it is stored as a reserve.
Automobile and the Environment in American History: Noise, Visual Pollution, and Derelict Cars
Although the batteries produce a great acceleration, currently, the available ones have a low range of fewer than 100 kilometers. There is also an inconvenience of being dropped far from destinations as opposed to private means that takes you to the exact location. More than two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese and one aspect contributing to this trend is reduced physical exercise and increase use of automobiles. Crashworthy cars absorb the force of a collision without causing injury to passengers inside the car. Reducing Car Pollution There are several ways that car and truck owners can reduce the effects of car pollutants on the environment. Motor fuel is itself a product and so, like a car, environmental damage occurs throughout its lifecycle as well. But batteries can be recycled, if they are returned to a service station, a parts store, or brought to a municipal hazardous waste facility.
Automobile and the Environment in American History: Energy Use and the Internal Combustion Engine
The vehicles that make up the automobile industry can be divided into three main categories. In the 1960s, the argument that further pollution threatened economic growth was persuasive. Charges by federal investigators that the Houston Ship Channel had the worst water pollution problem in the state, among other things, encouraged the Texas legislature to pass a clean air act in 1965 and a water quality act in 1967. Particles enter the human body with breathing, which will cause respiratory diseases and malignant tumors. Initial cost of building infrastructure and operation of mass movement is very high. The automobile culture grew rapidly and even today, it has become difficult to change this culture Eban, 2001. Carbon monoxide, another exhaust gas, is particularly dangerous to infants and people suffering from heart disease because it interferes with the blood's ability to transport oxygen.
In response, the auto industry is now seeking more time to test these mandatory fitments. In fact, approximately 90 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions produced during the life cycle of an automobile can be traced back to fuel consumption. Greenhouse gases are also connected to ocean acidification and smog. Gasoline combustion creates toxic gas by-products. Reformulated gasoline has very low auto-ignition temperature hence small leaks in air readily catch fire. Additional successes were thwarted by the state court, which handed down several decisions making it more difficult to prosecute companies responsible for the pollution.
Automobile and the Environment in American History: Environmental Costs of the Automobile Production Process
Reformulated gasoline lower reactive-hydrocarbons and sulphur oxides emissions plus has narrow flammability limits. Fuel cycle impacts are the forms of pollution and other environmental damage that occur between the oil well and the fuel tank. Throughout February and into March, the crisis continued with no immediate end to the pollution of the beaches. Most important, the increased demand for water by cities, farms, and industry encouraged the passage of laws to prevent the contamination of fresh water supplies. As with the steamers, electric cars had some decided advantages over the motorcar: ease of operation, no emissions of foul odors and gases, and a quiet ride. By March 6, the oil was washing up on San Diego beaches, and it was not until the end of the month that the worst leaks were plugged.
These air pollutants are released from the tailpipes, which means that humans immediately breathe in the contaminated air now compromising human health making it a more crucial issue to address. These processes deal with the sourcing of raw materials, processing those materials, and converting them into a finished product. To sum up, in view of the serious negative effects on the environment caused by the rapid development of the automobile industry, it is urgent to pay attention to economic development and improve the awareness of energy conservation and environmental protection, and promote new energy vehicles in a timely and appropriate manner. The board would evaluate continuing traffic-safety research needs and focus on those that are most urgent. The third-row seats have room for three passengers each. Automobiles also generate waste products in the form of plastics, glass, antifreeze, motor oil, transmission and brake fluid, etc. For example, iron ore gets turned into steel, which now accounts for most of the mass in vehicles.
Automobile and the Environment in American History: The Automobile's Imprint on the Landscape
In both methods, there is no need for modification of the current vehicle engines as they conveniently burn the fuel. It has been argued that unethical practices and conspiracy between oil and automobile industry has brought the world to an environmental mess in a less than one century but it will take more than one century to reverse the trend. To impress investors, oil promoters often opened the wells, sending The basic urge to get rich quick, however, usually meant depleting supplies as quickly as possible, despite warnings from geologists about the dangers of extracting too much, too quickly or wasting substantial amounts along the way. They are responsible for air pollution and create many other problems, including traffic jams. Choosing more fuel-efficient vehicles to reduce our reliance on a world oil market in which Middle Eastern countries play a dominant role is one way we, as individuals, can assist in energy-related aspects of national security. The board would then report its findings to the President.
But despite this recycling effort, automobiles continue to pose an environmental challenge in the United States in any number of ways. As more people drive their own vehicles, manufacturers have been able to segment the market and introduce new designs more frequently. They contribute to global warming, acid rain, and other environmental issues. It is urgent to seek and develop new energy sources and new power modes. This can be attained through the use of alternative sources of energy, advancement of technology, and improving usage of current fossil fuels that are most common, available, and affordable to many people. However, the second half of the twentieth century came with oil crisis and for once in the course of the century, people realized that gas can be costly and fuel efficient cars were important compared to gas guzzlers. Automobile and the Environment in American History: The Automobile's Imprint on the Landscape The Automobile and the Environment in American History by The Automobile's Imprint on the Landscape There is little doubt that the widespread use of the automobile, especially after 1920, In several respects, the automobile made its impact felt first in rural areas where cars were used for touring and recreation on the weekends as opposed to replacing existing transit that brought people to and from work in urban areas.
