Cars and global warming
Global warming endangers our health, jeopardizes our national security, and threatens other basic human needs. Some impacts—such as record high temperatures, rising seas, and severe flooding and droughts—are already increasingly common.
Our personal vehicles are a major cause of global warming. Collectively, cars and trucks account for nearly one-fifth of all U.S. emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas. About 5 pounds comes from the extraction, production, and delivery of the fuel, while the great bulk of heat-trapping emissions—more than 19 pounds per gallon—comes right out of a car’s tailpipe.
In total, the U.S. transportation sector—which includes planes, trains, ships, and freight—produces around thirty percent of all U.S. global warming emissions. That’s an order of magnitude more than most countries.
As oil becomes more difficult to extract, burning gasoline will only become dirtier. Using less oil is the real solution.