Every day brings another news story about the seeming inevitability and severity of global climate change. It is impossible to say with much accuracy how the forces put into motion by global warming will play out, but the bottom line is simple: the more heat-trapping gases we put into the atmosphere, the more the climate will change. The major culprit is thought to be carbon dioxide (CO2). And the major producer of CO2 emissions is the combustion of fossil fuels. This problem may seem terribly overwhelming, but there is a simple change you can make to help stop global warming, and it’s almost like you don’t have to do anything.
The Major Issue To Address Is Your Addiction To Your Car

The Major Issue To Address Is Your Addiction To Your Car

That’s right, you can help stop global warming by simply not driving! Do you struggle to imagine your life without owning a personal automobile? You’re certainly not the only one. America’s love affair with the personal automobile has a history so long that it is deeply embedded in our culture. You may see the automobile as more than a piece of technology, but as a staple of our material culture for the freedom that it ostensibly provides. Personal automobile use is a major contributor to global warming. On the bright side, you can make a big contribution to solving global warming by refraining from using your automobile. In the United States, the only sector responsible for emitting more carbon dioxide than transportation is electricity generation. While reforms to make electricity generation could take years of bureaucratic process and infrastructure development, you can take a major step to help stop global warming today by reducing your automobile use.

The Solution That Can Help You Stop Global Warming - Walk, Bike, and Use Public Transportation

The fossil fuels burned while driving are immense. If you drive 12,000 miles a year in a car that achieves an average of 20 miles per gallon, that activity is responsible for producing six tons of carbon dioxide. This number may seem meaningless, but consider that the average American home and car are responsible for 7.5 tons per capita each over the same year you can see what a tremendous impact driving has on the atmosphere. The American Public Transportation Association reports that using public transportation results in half the emissions that would be created by the same trip in a car. Walking and biking produce no emissions and provide the additional benefit of giving you a sense of freedom that cannot be afforded by any motorized vehicle.

By altering your life in this way, you can be a beacon for others who have yet to take the plunge themselves. You can change all the light bulbs you want, but very few people will ever witness that act. Walking, biking and using public transit are public acts which make a strong statement that you are committed to help stop global warming. If others can see that you have made this change in your life, they will be inspired to do the same, creating a positive feedback loop that will catalyze grassroots reform-the key to overcoming this potentially devastating catastrophe.

The Simple Fact Is You Can Be Happier Without Owning Your Own Car If You Make Car Free Living A Major Focus In Your Life

If you are still reading, you probably take issue with the the idea of being happier without a car. But many people have kicked their habit of owning a personal vehicle and have not looked back. Once you let go of your addiction, you will notice that your quality of life has improved and the car’s singular benefit of convenience will seem bygone . Reflect on the potential benefits for a moment: less time behind the wheel in traffic; a healthier body; one less major possession needing upkeep; more free time and more money. Now consider the fact that the average household in the U.S. spends 17% of its budget on owning and operating personal vehicles . Imagine being liberated from that financial burden! You will be able to spend more money on what you enjoy or perhaps spend less time working.

As with other addictions, though, going cold turkey is not always the most effective method. Try first committing to using alternative transportation on one day a week when you would normally use your automobile. Gradually increase this as it becomes easier and work towards making more and more trips this way. As you continue to enjoy the financial benefits of making fewer car trips, consider getting rid of your car completely to realize the full money-saving potential. This may seem like a treacherous transition, but for occasional use, many people make use of car sharing. Car co-ops provide access to car for people who have given up owning a vehicle, but still want occasional access to one. Car sharing is available in hundreds of cities. If none exists in your city, consider starting a car sharing co-op or relocating to an area where you are not so dependent on your own vehicle.

Only earnest efforts to avert this possible tragedy will be effective. Giving up your car may seem like a tragic sacrifice, but it pales in comparison to the sacrifices that humanity and the earth will face should we fail to face the “elephant in the room” that is global climate change.

There is much concern at the present time about the increasing addition of green house gases to the earth’s atmosphere. A prominent greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. This gas is produced when fossil fuels are burnt to produce energy for driving our automobiles or for producing electricity in power plants. It is believed that increasing addition of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere will result in adverse changes to the earth’s climate such as global warming to the extent that many presently inhabited areas of our planet will become inhabitable.

As a result of the concern caused by the emission of carbon dioxide from power plants it has been proposed that the use of fossil fuels should be restricted and a greater emphasis should be laid on alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind power.

There is however another route to reducing green house gases that may in the long run prove to be the most beneficial route towards improving the life sustaining qualities of our planet. This route is to green the planet. Carbon dioxide is to plant life what oxygen is to human and animal life. Plants need it for their growth and sustenance. Every time a tree is grown, it absorbs and converts some atmospheric carbon dioxide to useful organic materials. This absorption of carbon dioxide is rapid in the early growing phase of a tree. Absorption of carbon dioxide continues throughout the life cycle of a tree because trees continue to produce fresh foliage year after year.

Large portions of our planet have been deforested through recent human activity. While some deforestation is required for agricultural purposes there is much that can be avoided. In addition very large parts of our planet are large deserts or barren land not suitable for agriculture. These latter tracts are ideally suited for increasing green forests on earth. In ancient times they were green. It is for this reason that petroleum is found in such areas. Modern science and technology has made feasible the planting of select varieties of trees in dry desert areas. It is true that there is a cost involved in planting forests. Some of these can be recovered if the money that is being used for developing and subsidizing alternative energy sources is diverted for this purpose. More can be generated if the industries emitting carbon dioxide are levied an additional tax for forestations

The source of fossil fuels is green organic matter that once grew on earth’s surface. In ancient times this got buried under the surface and converted into coal, gas and crude petroleum oil. Bringing it back to the surface of the earth through mining is the first step towards returning this green material to the earth’s surface. The second step is its combustion to produce carbon dioxide.

The final step is the conversion of this carbon dioxide to plants and trees through human effort. The green house gas emitting industry is already doing a commendable job of the first two steps of this cycle. However, we as a civilization have lagged behind in the last step towards greening our planet. Urgent attention must be given to this last step. If not done, it will result in the conversion of some of this green gas into materials such as inorganic carbonates through natural processes. Calcium carbonate is one such product. One converted into an inorganic form the carbon becomes unavailable for creating biomass. The result is a planet that is more barren than it has ever been before. Large scale planting of trees that reduce barren tracts of earth, including the Sahara Desert is the route to go if humans are seriously interested in improving our planet over the short as well as the long term.