Motor Transportation and the Environment
Keiser University
Writing for Managers
September 16, 2012

Abstract

According to a Department of Transportation (DOT) study, there were 134,880,000 vehicles and 7,883,000 motorcycles registered in the United States in 2009 alone. Looking at these numbers we can say that the purchase of these vehicles and motorcycles contributed to the United States economy, but at the same time, those numbers also tell us how much our environment have been affected by the pollution from them. Although, cars seem to be the most convenient method of transportation, should we have a more reliable public transportation, I believe people would opt out from using a car to move around. Motor vehicles have also been extremely relied on in the work force; trucking for example, contributes greatly to the country’s import and export, goods’ transportation, etc. It does sound like motor vehicles were the best machine ever invented but because of the excessive use of them, great damage has been done to our atmosphere. (U.S. Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012)

Motor Transportation and the Environment
How do vehicles affect our environment? Because of the amount of chemicals and gases that vehicles release, they are the biggest contributor of air pollution. It is no doubt that the automotive industry is critical to the U.S. economy growth but it is also the primarily cause of air pollution in the nation. Having so many vehicles in our roads producing fossil from its motors, is also a critical component of the high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, poisoning our environment, health and causing changes in the climate which results in the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. According to Frances Beinecke, the impact of global climate change extends beyond environmental destruction. She challenges all Americans to demand a clean and sustainable energy future before it is too late. Doing so will help put Americans back to work, reduce our reliance on foreign oil, and create a healthier planet, for ourselves and our children.
In cities across the globe, the personal automobile is the single greatest polluter, as emissions from a billion vehicles on the road add up to a planet-wide problem. Driving a private car is a typical citizen's most air polluting activity; the negative effects of automotive emissions are its maximum when you sit in traffic surrounded by cars with their engines idle, everyone sitting in a traffic jam is getting poisoned. To understand the process of combustion, gasoline and diesel fuels are mixtures of hydrocarbons (made of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon atoms). Hydrocarbons are burned by combining with oxygen. Nitrogen and sulphur atoms are also present and combine with oxygen when burned to produce gases. Automotive engines emit several types of pollutants. www.nutramed.com/environment/carsepa.htm.
Just to have an idea of how much pollution is generated by motor vehicles of all kind, let’s do the math, an average vehicle produces 5.2 metric tons of Carbon Dioxide per year, given 250 million cars in the USA, that equals 1 Billion 300 million (1,300,000,000) Metric Tons of carbon per year and if we go globally, 800 million cars equals to 4 billion 160 million (4,160,000,000) Metric Tons per year. Per the International Energy Statistics from 2009, US ranked number two in carbon dioxide emission, that is 5,424.53 mil tonnes (17.67 per capita) and approximately 30% of that is generated by transportation. Let’s not forget the contribution of pollution by trucks, granted the trucking industry also plays a big role in the nation economy, the use of motor vehicles is much relied on in the work force such the heavy industry because large trucks and 18 wheelers are of great importance in production, import, and export of products or materials. But is it really necessary to use such intoxicating machines? A single truck can emit as much pollution as 150 cars stated by Cleanairetrust.org. Judging from those numbers, we can see how our environment is been poison and our health too. Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a leading cause of unintentional poisoning deaths in the US; it is an odorless, colorless gas that usually remains undetectable until exposure results in injury or death.
Eliminating pollution has become a very important topic in the world, as cities grow, so grows the amount of motor transportation in them. Citizens are accustom to the convenience of driving a car wherever they need to go, especially in those cities where the public transportation is not reliable. Before cars, people would get from point A to point B by carriages, why not go back to that; cloth, shoes, and hair styles have come back in style again, even what we eat, people are going back to growing their own vegetables and raising their own chickens and pigs in their houses or farms like it used to be, why not transportation. Some people might say that it’ll be like going back in time, well is true but the way the world is today, it would do so much good to do things the way they used to, besides, knowing what we know today, we can even make these carriages better, maybe include some technology in them. Other types of transportation that can be use are bicycles, trains, and public buses for example.
Besides freeing the atmosphere of some CO2, riding bicycles benefit us health wise and saves us money; trains are also another way of transportation that still have environmental impact but it is consider to be less than cars and planes. If people were to travel by train, this will benefit the economy of the country as well as will free the roads of cars, and commercial trucks not to mention how convenient it is since it eliminates the worries of street lights, traffic at the same time been less accident prone. The amount of CO2 produced by train decreased in the past year by 5% and 25% in the past 10 years.
Public buses is another way of transportation that could alleviate, if not eliminate, the amount of cars on our roads that way reducing the emission of fossil into our atmosphere. Yes it is something you will have to pay for, but it is certainly less than paying for gas and maintenance of a car and the annual registration renewal that as time goes by, it increases it value. Autoblog Green states that according to the American Public Transportation Association; “the average public transportation rider can save $9,242 a year by ditching a car.” It is true that in some states it is not suitable for people to transport themselves in public buses because they ride every hour but that’s where the government have to get involved and make this public transportation available at all times to the consumer, not only it will contribute to clean the environment but will generate income for each state.
Over the years, different companies have been competing to make the fastest, biggest, or most luxurious car creating competition in the motor vehicle industry. The US for example is very proud to be one of the first to invent such a machine with the Duryea brothers who set up the first American car manufacturing company in 1893 (Everyday Mysteries). The US produced 7,761,443 cars in 2010 (Production Statistics OICA), putting them 3 behind Japan and China. These companies need to start manufacturing more green cars; it is time for them to contribute to cleaning of the atmosphere.
If we most own a car, let’s invest in a hybrid car, it does not uses combustible to drive or an electric car; the environmental advantages of both electric and hybrid car should be quite obvious to everybody, increased health for both people and nature. The pollution produced by cars might also get carried into the atmosphere where it transforms into acidic rain, one of the worst problems for nature and even planted crops, so by using hybrid and electric cars humanity not only does the nature a favor but also it does to ourselves too (www.lesscars.org, 2007). Using alternative ways of transportation contributes to the conservation of the atmosphere not only for our own sake but for the future generations, otherwise, if we continue through this path, the number of harmful emissions from vehicles will only increase in years to come, and air pollution problem will continue to grow.

Conclusion

With the mass production of motor vehicles, methods of public transportation and use of large transportation vehicles in the heavy industry, the carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere has increased to a dangerous level, it is now time to take action. We no longer have time to continue researching new ways for a “cleaner” future, car companies must compete to make a machine that takes the least toll on out atmosphere and environment as well as people in our societies must adjust to our earth threatening situation and find better ways to get around so need the companies that transport materials or merchandise. The technology does exist and it is out there for anyone to use, all it takes is the will to make these changes. You must remember that we all live on this earth so we will be affected by whatever happens to it. Those who own multi-million dollar industries that depend on highly polluting machines should keep in mind that no matter how much money they have, when the atmosphere gives in, the money won’t protect them from the sun’s wrath.

References http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohpi/hss/index.cfm. U .S. Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics, annual.
Deans, Bob; Beinecke, Frances; Redford, Robert. Clean Energy Common Sense: An American Call to Action on Global Climate Change, http://kesu-verso.auto-graphics.com http://www.nutramed.com/environment/carsepa.htm http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6030a2.htm http://www.lesscars.org/environment.php King, Jennifer. Demand Media, National Geographic