Reducing Our Cars' Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Courtesy of the Kingston Environmental Advisory Forum (KEAF).
The Climate Change Plan for Canada asks each of us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent. Here are some ways we can do it in the area of personal travel:
- Car-pool to work. Suppose 40% of my car travel each year is getting to work and back. If I decide to car-pool and take the car every second day, I would reduce my transportation greenhouse gas emission by 20%. And besides, my car would last longer and require less servicing.
- Take public transit. Even though an extra passenger will cause the bus to emit a bit more greenhouse gas, it is less than half of that from my car. So I would probably reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% or more by using the city bus.
- Get a more fuel efficient vehicle. If I decide to switch from a big SUV consuming 15 L/100km, typical for an SUV in city driving, to a full-sized station wagon consuming 10 L/100km I would cut my annual greenhouse emissions by more than 30% and reduce my fuel costs by about the same amount for the same travel distance. If I switch from a mid-size car consuming 9 L/100km to a compact car consuming 7 L/100km I would cut emissions by 23%.
- Modify driving style. If I "floor it." when I start up, brake heavily for red lights rather than slowing down in advance, use air conditioning unnecessarily, and drive at 120 km/h rather than 90 my car will use more fuel and emit more greenhouse gas than if I drive more moderately.
- Get a bicycle and a pair of walking shoes. Many car trips are for short distances that include chores such as: Getting a loaf of bread or dozen eggs, picking up flashlight batteries, getting an ice cream on a hot day, returning a library book, etc. Cars burn more than the usual amount of gasoline on short trips because the engines aren't warmed up and engine idling time is greater. Walking or biking for short trips not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions and the physical exercise is really good.
