Subject: {FIRSTNAME}, Environmental Damage Hello {FIRSTNAME}, I hope you enjoyed the fourth course on gasoline and oil, next we are going to look at environmental damage. Here is a recap of the e-course schedule: Part 1: What Are Alternative Fuels Part 2: Why Are Gas Prices So High Part 3: Alternative Fuel Vehicles Part 4: Gasoline and Oil Part 5: Environmental Damage Part 6: Global Warming Part 7: Alternative Fuel According to the Numbers With that being said... Lets get rolling shall we :) ================================================== Part 5: Environmental Damage -------------------------------------------------- It took over 200 million years for the oil beneath the earth's surface to form. In the past 200 years, we have already used half of that reserve. If current rates of consumption continue, the world's remaining oil would be used up in 40 years. Right now, two-thirds of the oil used around the world powers transportation vehicles, and half goes to passenger cars and light trucks. Being conscious of our fuel use will help to conserve resources for future generations. Transportation involves the combustion of fossil fuels to produce energy translated into motion. Pollution is created from incomplete carbon reactions, unburned hydrocarbons or other elements present in the fuel or air during combustion. These processes produce pollutants of various species, including carbon monoxide, soot, various gaseous and liquid vapor hydrocarbons, oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, sulphate and nitrate particulates, ash and lead. These primary pollutants can, in turn, react in the atmosphere to form ozone, secondary particulates, and other damaging secondary pollutants. Combustion also produces carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas. These environmental concerns about the country's transportation habits have been studied extensively. The tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks account for almost a third of the air pollution in the United States. Although smog is produced by many factors, including sunlight, temperatures, winds and "basin" effects the air pollution caused by transportation is a major contributor. In their Sprawl Report 2001, the Sierra Club graded the car and truck smog in America's 50 largest cities using data from the EPA. The area containing New York City scored best, believe it or not, with a grade of C+, creating 54 pounds of smog from cars and trucks per person per year. Twelve of the top 50 cities earned a grade of F, including, surprisingly, Louisville, Kentucky, which has 137 pounds of smog from cars and trucks per person per year. The Clean Air Act of 1970 gave the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency broad authority to regulate motor vehicle pollution, and since then, emission control policies have become progressively more stringent. In addition, the EPA has published various fact sheets, such as "Your Car and Clean Air: What YOU Can Do to Reduce Pollution." For more information about alternative fuel, please refer to my website Take Care,