Gas Emissions from Cars

Gas emissions from cars, which is caused by the combustion of fossil fuels in our vehicles, are the largest source of greenhouse gases that go into the atmosphere. Most vehicles produce several times their weight in greenhouse gases each year. That�s why a switch to clean fuel is of paramount importance to decrease the amount of CO2 that we collectively emit.

According to calculations made by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency�s, the amount of gas emissions from cars per gallon of gasoline is about 8.8 kilograms (or 19.4 pounds) of CO2. But CO2 is not the only gas that cars emit. The exhaust gases form a cocktail of hydrocarbons (HCs) such as methane (CH4), particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). The latter is especially common in diesel exhaust.

In order to get a more global picture of the consequences of gas emissions from cars, consider that the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide from all sources has increased by 31% since 1750. It had remained stable during the past 420,000 years. "The current rate of increase is unprecedented during at least the past 20,000 years. Over the last two decades, about three-quarters of the anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide have been a result of burning of fossil fuels, the rest being predominantly due to land-use change (eg deforestation)", says What Green Car.

The consequences of climate change, which gas emissions from cars are partially to blame, will be unpredictable and often catastrophic. It�s time for a renewable energy revolution.