My question was “How can car owners reduce their environmental impact?” this question was important as cars release large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere which worsens climate change. In order to answer this question I research the following sub questions.
How can people reduce the amount they drive?
Reducing the amount you drive can be easy. Avoiding driving small distances and instead walk or bike them. It is not always possible to work closer to home but if you get the chance it can greatly reduce driving distance which saves money and burns less fuel. Carpooling is another way to reduce the amount you drive.
What can make a car more efficient?
Small things like taking heavy items out of the trunk can help save fuel. Using the correct tire pressure also helps with mileage as low pressure in tires creates more friction with the road which wears the tires out quicker and requires the engine to work slightly harder. Driving better can also make a car more efficient, “Accelerate gradually. Slow down gradually. Smooth driving not only saves fuel it saves wear and tear and your vehicle.” The check engine light may be impacting your fuel mileage and wasting fuel.
Trail Daily Times (Trail, Canada). (May 3, 2018): Opinion and Editorial: From Canada In Context.
What type of car is best for the environment?
Although hybrids and electric cars may not produce as much emissions from use, their production tends to be more harmful to the environment mostly due to the battery required to run the car. Just because electric cars use electricity to run, instead of gas or diesel that doesn’t mean it is necessarily better. If your location gets most or all of their energy from burning fossil fuels an electric car may not be better for the environment, or even worse. New cars in the market are much more efficient than older cars and are likely better for the environment as production for these cars don’t include a battery. For locations with mostly clean energy an electric car can be a way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The longer an electric car is used the better it is for the environment. In conclusion, there is no clear answer for everyone, but any new car will be substantially better for the environment compared to an old one.
Are electric cars worse for the environment? (Politico) By: JONATHAN LESSER (05/15/2018 05:06 AM EDT)
How eco-friendly are electric cars? (Deutsche Welle) Author: Hilke Fischer, Dave Keating (Date 04.08.2017)
Critics have it wrong — electric vehicles are better for your health, your wallet and the planet (The Hill) By: JIM LYONS (Date 01/25/18 03:30 PM EST)
What other transportation options are there?
For those who want to limit the use of their car what alternatives are there for transportation? Public transport is one of the main alternatives to driving. The various public transportation modes consist of many different ways to get around such as the bus, train, tram, light rail, and metro systems. Depending on where you are located some of these systems may not be available. The most common form of public transport is the bus. With the amount of people currently using buses it is currently not beneficial to the environment. If a greater number of people were to use public transport, the impact of public transport on the environment would decrease. Although most buses rely on fossil fuels some buses like the trolleybus use electricity to run and with a clean energy source they can be much more beneficial to the environment.
Is it greener to travel by bus or by car? (The Telegraph) By: James Foxall (5 APRIL 2016 • 9:27AM)
What is Public Transportation? (Conserve Energy Future)
Are used cars better for the environment compared to new cars?
When purchasing car there are two choices, a new car and a used car. Although new cars are often more fuel efficient, the production of the car is not good for the environment. When buying a used car you pay less and you aren’t affecting the environment with the production of the car. Driving a 2018 Ford Fusion 39, 368 miles would create about the same amount of CO2 as producing a car. Producing a car produces a lot of CO2 and waste matter so buying a recently new used car would be best for the environment.
In order to research my topic I needed to research the following questions:
- How can people reduce the amount they drive?
- What can make a car more efficient?
- What type of car is best for the environment?
- What other transportation options are there?
- Are used cars better for the environment compared to new cars?
When researching these topics I used Gale (which was new to me) to find answers to my topics. When I couldn’t use Gale I used Google to find reputable and unbiased information sources. My process to investigate these questions was to find information sources and use them to create a conclusion to answer my questions. When looking for information I would look for sources that would be unbiased and showed the date and author. I also researched the sources to find out if they are reputable. I cited the websites I used by displaying the title of the article and the source in addition to the author and date. In the future I will more sources to backup my writing.
