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Drive Away Car Pollution

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Most of us do it everyday. We get into our automobiles, start it up, and drive away to our daily destination. We may not give it a second thought and if it enters our realm of thinking then we are quick to rationalize the importance of using our cars. The thought of car pollution is one that everyone is aware of but many are not willing to do what it may take to reduce if not deplete it.

Car Pollution - It’s In The Air

Many cars and other forms of transportation require the use of fossil fuels. When burned, these fossil fuels release emissions into the air that are filled with carbon dioxide and other possible toxic particles. An excess of these gases has been recognized as a major contributor to air pollution. Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particles, or biological materials into the atmosphere causing harm to humans and other living organisms or damages the environment. Cities are filled with fossil fuel burning transportation and the effects are damaging those who are driving and those who are simply passing by.

Emissions Effects

It is true that emissions are a cause of ozone depletion and global warming. These have ramifications that are endless; from changing weather patterns, melting ice caps, to air quality. But what does all this mean? How does driving a car affect our everyday living? What are the effects of car pollution? Here is a sampling of the ways:

• Health – Gases like carbon monoxide, lead, benzene, formaldehyde, and others are entered into the body through the blood stream. These cause heart disease, breathing disorders, possible cancers, and contribute to general illness and allergies. Since the amount of cars on the road is rising it is safe to say the amount of traffic has too, this brings more accidents and many of them fatal.
• Economy – Some may argue that cars help the economy through production of jobs and fuel refineries, however with that comes more cars on the road and more emissions into the air from car pollution. The demand for fossil fuels has been on the rise and keeps going up and production can hardly keep up. Since demand has not kept up with the supply then the cost of fuel goes up which is never a good thing for the common man, only for the oil moguls.
• Pollution – Air pollution is only one form that is fueled by cars. There has been an increase of noise pollution due to the amount of cars on the road. Noise pollution causes hearing loss and a vast amount of stress disorders. Sight pollution is not a word someone made up but a reality and cars are a leading factor. Due to the amount of car demands and traveling done by our busy world, bigger roads were needed to support the traffic. Precious land was used to create these asphalt monsters that transport automobiles faster and supposedly more efficiently.

Creative Car Pollution Solutions

There are many things that we all can do to help reduce the amount of pollution our cars are making. Some may include simple changes in the way we live while a few others may include governmental action. A few examples are:

• Psychology – The thought process of why we should drive a car needs to change. Driving a car should be a privilege not a right.
• Reduce – The amount of vehicles on the road needs to be reduced and the amount we drive them should too. Perhaps tax credits for lower mileage…
• Production – Car manufacturers have gotten better at creating more efficient technology, but there is still work to be done. Making the newer technology readily available and more cost efficient would help in this matter.

There are a lot of ideas that could be put into place to help with car pollution. We are all responsible for the world we live in. If every one of us reduced the amount we used our own vehicles then we have made a good start. It is time we got creative and took this matter into our own hands and demanded that the government gets serious too.