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Greenhouse Gases and Public Transportation: a Solution to Warming

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Submitted By Neisen30
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Greenhouse gases are a significant factor in global warming, a topic of great debate in America. A greenhouse gas, or GHG such as carbon dioxide, is a gas that is trapped in the atmosphere. They are key factors in the Greenhouse Effect, a warming process. Automobiles and transportation are one of the leading sources of GHG emissions following industrial production, both of which rely on the combustion of fossil fuels for power. Carbon dioxide is the main gas that is released from burning fossil fuels such as petroleum. The problem with gas emissions released by industrial production is hard to cap, however, the problem involving the amount of carbon emissions released can be significantly reduced by cutting back on the amount of individual driving. This is important because transportation is one factor in the warming process that we can control. Many assume that buying a hybrid is a solution to the warming problem. While this is helpful it is not a large enough solution to make a major impact. One way to help cut-backs significantly is to increase and expand on public transportation while making it more efficient and safer for the environment. This would result in fewer combustion vehicles on the road, and an overall reduction in GHG emission. There are a few different types of GHGs that are harmful to the atmosphere. The main greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The GHGs methane and nitrous oxide are not very relevant in the combustion of fossil fuels through transportation. Carbon dioxide or CO2, is the main GHG released through transportation. CO2 is the gas which receives the most credit in the argument over climate change. Scientists and experts often refer to “carbon emissions” when discussing gas emissions by means of transportation, because the amount of CO2 emissions is much larger than the other GHGs.
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