Fossil Fuels
The burning of fossil fuels and vehicle emissions is a serious concern where global warming and climate change are concerned.
The commentaries about the Beijing Olympics highlights a very disturbing problem that is clearly visible to all of us with the naked eye - smog, air contaminants, and pollution.
Manufacturers of light and heavy industries are not only the culprit and have their unique fossil fuel emissions to deal with.
We, the majority of the population - classed as consumers, also contribute to this global problem - we drive cars driven by fossil fuels - petrol, diesel and a variety of oils from transmission fluid to engine oil.
Car pooling with fellow work associates is one way we can lessen the pollutants that are emitted into the atmosphere.
A lot of people are now converting their cars to being driven by LPG gas and the cost of an LPG conversion is paid for within months, should that car still be running on petroleum based gas, at the price it is today.
LPG is a cleaner fuel specifically:-
- LPG produces 33% less CO2 emissions than petrol and 45% less CO2 than diesel
- LPG vehicles produce up to 82% less Nitrogen Oxide pollutants than petrol and 99% better than diesel
- 63% less Carbon Monoxide
- 40% less Hydrocarbons than petrol and 70% less than diesel
- 50% less particulates than petrol and 98% less than diesel
- LPG reduces the cost of vehicle maintenance
At present, the energy that goes into production of other bio fuels such as bio diesel and soy based fuels is substantial and the full environmental impact has not been calculated by the experts.
Although there has been a lot of media attention on electric cars the carbon footprint is enormous. The raw materials are mined in remote parts of the world and then flown to specialist refining plants before being flown to the car plant.
Recharging of cars may also require the use of mains power. Electric power generation has its own ecological problems that are well known. Unfortunately, this will move the problem elsewhere rather than tackling the root cause.
Using public transport is even a better way to do your bit for the environment. Commuting to work on electric trains and natural or LPG fueled buses has to be a better alternative both for the environment and our hip pockets, with the price of fuel skyrocketing.
Although standing in crowded buses and trains at peak hour may not appeal to the masses, it is an effective way to reduce fossil fuel pollutants entering the atmosphere. Peak hour traffic is anywhere from 7am to 9am in the mornings and in the afternoon and evening from 4pm to 6pm.
Motor coaches produce carbon emissions of only 56 grams per customer mile compared to 371 grams for a single passenger vehicle.
If you want to avoid peak hour traffic buses and trains are not the only modems of transport affected. Privately owned cars and trucks can be seen at bottlenecks where our very inadequate infrastructure is busting at the seams with over congested roads and highways. And the road works in progress to help alleviate traffic congestion, causes us even more congestion and hassles.
With this scenario and the cost of fuel, it makes you wonder why anybody would use private transport, transporting just one person, the individual from home to work and back again. Car pooling is not going to address the problem, but it will reduce fossil fuel car emissions marginally from being pumped into the atmosphere at the rate it is now.
If everybody looked outside the square they live in they would realize that they, as an individual, has to be responsible for the pollutants that contaminate every city, world wide.
We humans have to be sustained, clothed and transported. We as humans have caused this pollution problem and, only we can address it and only we can initiate change - a change that is going to effect and benefit every person on the planet. All it takes is for “you” to take the first step.
