Vehicle vs. Earth

        Vehicle emissions can affect the environment in many different ways, and this is no surprise to anyone. It has been well known the effect that gasoline emissions have had on the planet but not much change has occurred. The average person knows that cars emit greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide, which has been linked as a huge influence of global warming. “Transportation caused over half of the carbon monoxide, over a third of the nitrogen oxides, and almost a quarter of the hydrocarbons in our atmosphere in 2006”

       Vehicles contain many different fluids, including motor oil, antifreeze, gasoline, air-conditioning refrigerants, and brake, transmission, hydraulic and windshield-wiper fluids. Some of these fluids are very toxic to both humans and animals, and can pollute waterways if they leak from the vehicles or are disposed of incorrectly. Some air pollutants and particles from cars can be make its way onto soil and surfaces of water as well. When this happens some of these pollutants can be found on food that is ingested daily by huge numbers of animals. Having these pollutants in our food is extremely unhealthy for the environment as well as the many species it affects. These substances can affect the reproductive, respiratory, immune and neurological systems of animals. Transportation is a huge component of air pollution so in any effort to reduce this problem, vehicles should be the main focus. Although we have made great strides in cleaning up auto emissions, we are also driving more then ever before.

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