A Better Choice | Teen Ink

A Better Choice

November 29, 2007
By Anonymous

Global Warming has been a growing issue that many people are aware of. Global Warming is caused by the emission of greenhouse gas or the release of carbon dioxide. As it is eating away the atmosphere it is also eating away our lives. We, the consumers, contribute to a large percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, whether it is burning fuel, chopping down trees or driving a car. Driving a car will contribute to the releasing of CO2 gases. We need to become aware of the impact the car will have on the environment before making a final decision, on which car we may be purchasing, that we might regret later on in life.

Many of the choices that car buyers make are not the smartest and would later hurt the environment. Most of the time when car buyers are given a car brochure, they immediately look at how much horsepower, how much torque, and if the car is luxurious but they don’t even glance at how much mileage the car can get per gallon. Usually a car with a bigger engine means that it would be less fuel efficient. More gas would be burnt which will add to the issue rather than solve it. Over 50 percent of carbon emissions come from cars, that is why we must change our choices before it is too late (www.fueleconomy.gov). For example a Lamborghini Murcielago which has 6.5 liters 640 horsepower engine runs for only 8 miles per gallon (autos.yahoo.com). Compared to a Toyota Prius which has only 110 horsepower but can run for 48 miles per gallon, that is 6 times the amount of the Lamborghini (Ibid)! Some people may think having better fuel efficiency means having a slow car, but is there really a point of having such a fast and fancy car? When will a person ever drive at high speeds? Highways and streets all have speed limits, most of those limits are 65 MPH and under so there is no point of having a fast car. Having a more fuel efficient car on the other hand will get us farther while protecting our environment from harmful greenhouse gas and keeping emissions at a minimum.

Cars produce air pollutants from CO2 gases, but they also produce water pollutants. Water pollutants are harmful towards aquatic life, plants, animals, and humans (www.racv.com.au). Water pollutants come from oil that leaks from cars engine. They run into rivers and waterways which become polluted (Ibid). Animals survive by drinking from those contaminated water sources. Acid rain develops when the polluted water evaporates into the air. Acid rain deteriorates plants and destroys fertile soil. The pollutants that cars produce are a serious issue and slowly all the biological life will wither away into nothingness.

Start making better car buying decisions and save the environment. Looking into cars with better fuel efficiency is a good start, usually a more fuel efficient car would have a better mileage meaning less CO2 gases are released and less air pollutants. Car industries are also becoming more aware of Global Warming and have begun studying and producing cars that are more environmentally friendly. Most hybrids or cars that run on biofuels or diesel are also good fuel efficient cars that with contribute to a cleaner environment. In the end we will not only be helping the environment but we would be saving some extra money that can be used elsewhere.

Works Cited
autos.yahoo.com, November 26, 2007 < http://autos.yahoo.com/lamborghini_murcielago_lp640/>

autos.yahoo.com, November 26, 2007, < http://autos.yahoo.com/toyota_prius/>

www.fueleconomy.gov, November 26, 2007

www.racv.com.au, November 26, 2007


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