How are Petrol Vehicle Affecting Our Environment

Conventional cars are killing our future. The science is in: conventional, petrol or diesel-powered automobiles are choking our planet.

How much are petrol vehicles contributing to global warming?

A NASA study from 2010 declared that automobiles were officially the largest net contributor to climate change pollution in the world. “Cars, buses, and trucks release pollutants and greenhouse gases that promote warming while emitting few aerosols that counteract it” the study read. Whilst the industrial and power sectors release many of the same gases with a larger contribution to global warming, they also emit sulfates as well as other aerosols that cause cooling in global temperature.

In 2014 the Scientific American argued that “on the current trajectory, greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trains, ships, and airplanes may become one of the greatest drivers of human-induced climate change, according to a draft of the forthcoming U.N. fifth assessment report on mitigation of climate change”. As the demand for personal vehicles in developing countries and fast-growing economies like China, India and Brazil increases, so does the use of motorized transport. “The transportation sector’s almost complete reliance on energy-dense, high-carbon fuels, like gasoline and diesel make reducing emissions an even greater challenge”.

Electric vehicle sales are increasing:

But just as the energy sector can and has made leaps to switch to renewable energy, as we have witnessed in New Zealand, (with 80% of our energy now being renewable, with the main sources being hydro, geothermal and wind), in 2019 it is clear that the automobile industry has made similar leaps and bounds towards a greener future. With the emergence of new technologies, electric vehicles are a fast-growing industry and ever-expanding market, forecast to have a global net worth value of US$912 billion by 2026. Research suggests that over 30% of new car sales will be zero-emissions or plug-in hybrids by 2030. This represents a potential USD$1 trillion market.

The increased pressure to reduced emissions

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the global automobile industry must shift gears to low or zero-carbon in order to survive. “The latest research shows the industry is on the cusp of a tipping point, with rising emissions targets, the low-carbon vehicle transition and advanced technologies in the form of autonomous and shared driving posing opportunities and risks to the industry”. Without sacrificing modern transport, electric vehicles are our best bet towards a low or zero-carbon economy and a future that is ensured.