Cars and How They Affect the Environment, Essay Example

Introduction

Every one of us would wish to own a car for convenience in daily activities. If one wanted to move up and down the town, more especially when one has a busy schedule, then the fastest and most reliable way is to drive around. The students and teachers at King’s are not exceptional. Every other student would like to be in school in time. The teachers, with their busy schedule would want to be at the required place within the right time, with minimal wastage of time. Now, the question is, did we ever stop to imagine how much pollution the car causes to the environment? The truth is that the cars have both the friendly part of it, which includes the values of prestige, convenience, freedom; while there is also the harsh part of it, which includes environmental pollution resulting from improper car management approaches considered by the owners. In the discussion that follows, a definition of this particular problem shall be given particular attention to in relation to how both teachers and students view the situation in line with their personal practice of using cars in a daily consideration.

The problem

The effect of cars to the environmental is the problem at hand. This problem not only ends merely on the environmental effects, but further to the effects, the affected environment has to its habitants. Humans have passed; everyone fights to live today, as we take it that tomorrow will take care of itself. Could we rather say that smart people will notice every other outcome of their actions, but because one cannot work out solutions single-handed, then ignorance and minimal action follows? Research has shown that cars exhaustions contribute to considerably higher percentage towards the environmental pollution. The exhaust from the cars not only causes harm to the environment, but also to our health (World Meteorological Organization report 15). This paper will discuss research notes concerning the cars and their pollution to the environment in details Cars as the major cause of air pollution

An average citizen commits a crime of pollution of the air either unknowingly or through ignorance, whenever driving the cars. At first, the effect not noticeable, but with time, there are environmental degradations. After some times, three effects realized. These include:

1. Local effects- this include the immediate effect where there is literal poisoning of the air humans breathe. In the US and Canada, thousands of persons with respiratory diseases reported. Respiratory diseases caused by airborne pathogens emitted into the air-by-air pollutants as cars. Asthma, nose sinus congestion, bronchitis are some of the few respiratory diseases that could be controlled if only a solution to the emission of poisonous gases into the air found. All these are severe diseases that cause death in the long run, but who I to blame? We are all to blame (Lassen, Claus 15).
2. Regional effects- this involves the outbreak of airborne diseases, infections, and dangerous chemical particles. If an airborne disease affects one person, then the healing process attained easily. However, if there is an outbreak, this natural calamity calls for action. Yet, all these arise from the pure ignorance mistakes that we commit I our daily lives.
3. Global effects– these are long-term effects, which affects the normal environmental cycles, in which the oceans and the sun do not interact, as they ought. The atmosphere consists of a thin layer of gases, and this is where most of the creatures live, including the human being. The suitable environment brought about by the cooling, heating and water evaporation. Upon moving up, there is the stratosphere that has some slightly dropped temperature and air pressure. The ozone layer, the mostly affected region lies approximately 30 miles above the surface of the earth. This is where the atmospheric gases pass and disappear into the mesosphere, the empty and cold space. With time, the ozone layer becomes toxic. This changes the chemical composite of the stratosphere and troposphere thus causing negative impacts upon the survival of human beings and other animals. There increased Ultra Violet rays upon depletion of the stratosphere ozone, a good percentage caused by car chemical emissions into the atmosphere (Lassen, Claus 112). The chemicals constitute of carbons, chlorides, tetra chlorides, halogens, ethanol, hydrogen and many more. This in turn affects the weather, which directly or indirectly affects the animals, the plants. What can actually remain in the world if the plants and animals affected by the long-term effects of our daily activities? It means the future of the US and Canada not guaranteed.

Relation of Problems to students of King’s school

Students at King’s school use cars in one way or another. They thus form no exemption for the contribution of the environmental effects of the cars. Every other time the students come to school, 95% of them, if not all, use cars. The cars could be private or rather public, but the fact is that the student has used a car to arrive to the school. If sent somewhere by the teacher or guardian, some of the students opt to use cars instead of walking. Regardless of how short the distance is, the students have turned lazy to walk around; or rather, it could be observed to have been the result of developing instance of lifestyle that most students and teachers follow at present. With the supposed convenience that car usage for transportation provides, it could be realized that more actually prefer to use personal cars than commuting or walking to school.

Educating Students and Teachers About Proper Use of Cars

The most effective way to solve the problem is to get everyone informed. Having that in mind, personal responsibility then follows. Every one of us ought to be responsible to taking care of our environment. The environment it ours today, but it takes care of the future generation, which is every one’s dream. A simple caution to minimize car emissions taken saves a life either in the future or now. We ought to ask ourselves, surprisingly, if the past generation did not care for the environment for our sake, then we could be living in agony. The students and the teacher’s of King’s school ought to understand the ecosystem that seems easy yet so complex. Every single negative effect fed into the environments systematically affects the entire ecosystem; in which the human beings also belong to the ecosystem. If the students and teachers took their time to assess the current system of the happenings at a place, then these could motivate them to change their behaviors. Such actions as driving cars unnecessarily reduced. Smart people, will always notice changes likely to occur in the future and control then now. Action starts with the few smart ones, while the rest of the population follows.

Solutions to the Problem on Proper Car Management

Driving less- pollution both locally and internationally can reduce drastically if people sought to drive less. If at all the distance is manageable then one can as well walk. One should see the other advantage associated with walking and a physical exercise, reduced possibility of encountering lifestyle diseases as obesity. Taking a walk, especially in a group is fun, and enjoyable. It could also save one the money spent in the gyms. Cycling is another better option. If collectively people reduced their car driving by at least 30%, then at large the environment saved greatly from pollution by these emissions of gases. People ought to find other leisure activities rather than driving lazily all around. Again, if public transport is available, then that represents the best option, since a collective number of people using public transport will reduce the amount of emitted gases. It also eases the city from traffic jams. If at all people use public transportation for about five years, a reported decrease in car gas emission will apply. Electric commuter trains provide a modern means of public transportation that one can use to access the suburbs with ease. It has an added advantage in that apart from saving the environment from pollution, it also saves the cost of transportation. Another option is to purchase the small and light electric vehicles, which emit less gas into the environment. These vehicles specifically designed for efficiency and safety, both to the user and the environment (Stephen and Gislason MD 93). They not only save one from the cost of fuel, due to less consumption but they are also comfortable. They come in classy models and fashions, just as the other cars that may appear fancy. So far, the UK reported to have a reduction in their gas emissions though adaptation of the above named approaches.