Greenhouse Gases

Motor vehicles are the primary cause of air pollutants in the United States. Emissions from motor vehicles are usually composed of the byproducts of that comes out of the exhaust systems or other emissions such as gasoline or emissions such as gasoline evaporation. These emissions contribute to air contamination and are a major component in the creation of smog in some large cities. Los Angeles has one to the highest levels of air contaminants in the country. According to the California Air Resource Board (CARR) “studies show that 50% or more of the air pollution (smog) in Southern California is directly related to motor vehicle emissions”. (Wikipedia)

Automobiles generate three greenhouse gases. These gases include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. Greenhouse gases are for the most part water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. These “greenhouse gases are found in the Earth’s atmosphere; they absorb and re-emit infrared radiation, causing the earth to heat.” (What Types of Greenhouse Gases Do Cars Produce? P1). Carbon Dioxide, (CO2), is a colorless, odorless and incombustible gas at room temperature (20-25 degrees Celsius). Joseph Black, a scientist and doctor from Scotland, was the first to identify carbon dioxide in the 1750’s. Carbon dioxide is the principal greenhouse gas emitted through human activity. Consequently, “in 2010, Co2 accounted for approximately 84% of all U.S. greenhouse emissions” (greenhouse gas emissions, p1). According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “as much as 95% if passenger vehicle emissions are carbon dioxide gases”. (What Types of Greenhouse Gases Do Cars Produce? P1).

Carbon dioxide is not classified as a pollutant since it is a natural component of the air and required by plants for photosynthesis. 5.48 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2e) is emitted by the typical passenger motor vehicle on average every day. The United States has identified a 12% rise in the carbon dioxide emissions...