Car Pollution Facts That Will Make You Stop Using Your Vehicle

Cars have become a necessary part of our world today.

Even though we cannot really imagine a world without cars-as our transportation system will fall apart, we cannot overlook the harmful effects of cars. Cars are not exactly environmently friendly and emit a lot of harmful gases.

Did you all know that there are more than a billion cars in the world right now? And no matter where in the world you live in, all of us have either owned or traveled in a car at least once.

Of course, they are faster than public transports and offer a great deal more comfort than them as well.

But this high number of cars is affecting the environment negatively.

Not only do cars emit a lot of poisonous gases that mess with the ecosystem and play a part in causing global warming and climate change, but they also have a negative effect on human health.

There is a lot to know about car pollution and we will try to provide the extremely harmful sides of it in this article.

If you like educational articles like this then make sure to also read, air pollution facts and diesel pollution facts.

Facts About Car Pollution

Motor vehicles like passenger cars are one of the most important means of transportation in our times.

Many of you might think that car pollution only affects the air around us but that is not true. Cars also are a major cause behind water and soil pollution just from how much waste the industry and the discarded vehicle parts create.

As you all very well know, most cars run on fossil fuels like gasoline. These fuels burn and create greenhouse gases.

As dangerous as all these poisonous gases are, the most worrisome of them all are: carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide. Not only do they bring down the air quality but also damage the environment and the animal kingdom as well.

Car pollution is also partially responsible for the destruction of the ozone layer, climate change, and global warming. ​Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from vehicles account for about 29% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

The harmful emissions of poisonous gases are harmful to both animal and human health. If we want to make a better future for our planet, we must control car pollution.

Scary Facts About Car Pollution

You have already had a general idea about what car pollution can do to our planet, let us now delve deeper into how it harms human health.

You know that the human body survives by breathing in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide. But major pollutants like greenhouse gas carbon monoxide and others that cars emit can worsen the air quality around us and harm our respiratory system.

Not being able to breathe in enough oxygen for a very long time can lead to various lung diseases.

And since the ozone layer blocks the harmful UV rays of the sun, harming it also means that it makes us vulnerable to skin cancer and other such diseases. Car emissions cause a lot of gasses to come out into the air but carbon monoxide is probably the main poisonous gas that cars emit.

A typical passenger automobile emits about 5 t (4.6 mt) of carbon dioxide per year. Cars also emit a lot of smoke containing these harmful gases.

This smoke mixes with the existing fog and creates something called 'smog'. This smog can cause the air to feel heavy and make it hard to breathe.

This is a dangerous health hazard that a large number of motor vehicles can present to us.

Smog can also make our eyes burn. But we must not forget the effect car pollution has on the environment as climate change and global warming are the two of the most serious issues the planet is facing right now.

Facts About Reducing Car Pollution

But even after all of this, there are ways to put a stop to some of the harmful effects of car pollution.

The first and most efficient way is of course for more of us to use public transportation like buses. Not only will it reduce the number of car emissions by a lot but also make transportation easier.

Not only is it better for the environment but our health as well. Another way is to use cycles or bikes.

Cycles are a very eco-friendly mode of transportation and quite good for our health as well. There is no burning fuel involved in them and they are also cost-effective and low maintenance.

But for the people who absolutely need cars for getting to places, there are also options. You can always buy and use electric vehicles or electric cars. Though the cost of electric cars is quite high, they require lower maintenance and are more cost-effective in the long run.

Electric vehicles are also faster than normal cars. Also instead of buying cars, you can rent or lease cars from companies.

This will not only serve your purpose but also reduce waste created by a large number of cars. Furthermore, you can keep an old car, as researchers state that older fuel-efficient cars on the road are a greener option as they help in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Facts About the Long Term Effect of Car Pollution

Now that we have covered all the other bases, let us talk about the long-term effects car emissions can have on us.

It has been noted in some studies that if not controlled properly, the air pollution in the next decade or so will become so bad that we will need to carry oxygen cylinders to breathe. The ice caps are also melting because of global warming and the sea levels are rising.

This can have catastrophic effects on our planet. Air pollution is not the only thing we need to worry about because of cars.

Discarded and unusable cars make up a large portion of land pollutants as well. The car manufacturing industries are also one of the largest pollutants.

So as you can see, if we want to avoid the catastrophic effects of rampant air pollution in the future, we might have to seriously curb down the number of cars. Start using more buses, cycles and other modes of public transport if you want to avoid such a future.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 71 car pollution facts that will make you stop using your vehicle then why not take a look at coal pollution facts, or facts about land pollution.