Saving Our Enviorment: Making Changes to Reduce Air Pollution from Transportation

Saving Our Environment: Making Changes to Reduce Air Pollution from Transportation

People rely on many forms of transportation on a daily basis to carry out their daily activities and do their work. The need for our current transportation choices are largely from gasoline and diesel powered automobiles resulting in air pollution that has harmful effects on people’s health and breathing. It appears that air pollution is getting worse everyday in the United States. It also seems many people may not be as concerned about air pollution from the cars they drive as perhaps they should be because they do not see the impact of their behavior and the kind of fuel they use contributing to air pollution. It is hard to get people to change life-long behavior and to give up the kinds of cars they like and want to drive in the name of air pollution. Because air pollution is linked to people’s choices about the kind of cars they drive, most politicians also do not want to discuss these politically-charged issues. Whether we like it or not, we have to begin thinking about hybrid vehicles as a possible solution to transportation since these cars would improve air quality and lessen air pollution. Perhaps the time has some that we must demand automakers to invest more in smaller, battery-powered, hybrid vehicles.

There have been some attempts to decrease air pollution because it is known that gasoline and diesel fuel used in many forms of private and public transportation are major contributors to air pollution. While we know some of the major air pollutants are gasoline and diesel-fueled vehicles, the fact remains that many people do not want to give up their diesel trucks or luxury cars for smaller, battery-powered, hybrid cars. For example, Honda and Toyota have been producing hybrid, battery or electric powered cars for several years now, but they have really not taken hold with the public until the recent soar in gas prices. The fact remains that hybrid is better in lessening air pollution. We also know that the major air pollutants like carbon dioxide and other air polluting substances from gasoline and diesel fuels are negatively impacting air quality and increasing air pollution and in fact they are making people including adults and children permanently ill.

Hybrid or electric cars will certainly result in lessening air pollution and also result in improved health status for many people including children with asthma. The air quality is so important and polluted air makes people ill in many ways. Usually air pollution results in illness from persons developing major breathing problems which in most cases become chronic and last a lifetime. Some of the major respiratory illnesses resulting from air pollution are asthma particularly in children and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults. These are the persons who end up not being able to breath and often end up in the emergency department because they cannot breathe. Why would we not want to make a change that would decrease air pollution that helps people stay healthy longer and have a better life?

I have heard for some time that automobile makers like General Motors and Ford have the technology to manufacture smaller, hybrid vehicles but they were not encouraged to go this way largely because the oil manufacturers wanted to increase the demand for their profits through gasoline and diesel consumption. I think the time has come when we have to stop thinking about pocket books and dollars and encourage production of vehicles that make our environment safer through decreased air pollution. Even if smaller, battery-powered, hybrid cars cost a little more in the beginning, eventually I think people will make behavior changes about the kinds of cars and trucks they are driving to keep the air cleaner and to decrease air pollution. I don’t think anyone gets out of bed in the morning and says “I think I will drive to work today to make some one sick by polluting the air with my car” but I do think a lot of people are not aware of the impact of their behavior on other people.

While there is no one best answer to stop air pollution, it seems if everyone did a little to make a behavior change in buying a hybrid automobile, the impact on air quality would significantly decrease air pollution and improve health outcomes for the many who are ill and suffer from asthma and chronic lung disease. If people are not going to make these behavior changes themselves, then I think we have to make policy that forces the behavior change. I believe we have to lobby and force automakers to invest more in hybrid technology. This type of change is essential if we are going to live more responsibly and we have to care more about this issue to save our environment.


http://www.die.gov.tr/english/SONIST/CEVRE/cevre.html

http://www.alive.com/161a1a3.php

http://www.nrdc.org/air/pollution/bt/0160.asp