Running on Empty

Essay by LikeaVirginCollege, UndergraduateA+, September 2004

download word file, 7 pages 2.2

Have you pulled your car up to the gas pump lately and been shocked by the high price of gasoline? As the pump clicked past $15, $20 or $30; maybe you thought about trading that gas-guzzler for something that gets better mileage. Or maybe you're worried that your car is contributing to the Green House effect. Or maybe you just want to have the coolest car on the block. A Gas-only vehicle burns twice as much gas to go a mile generates twice as much pollution. The result of that is the emissions of the tailpipe generates the carbon dioxide to burn into our air causing the unwanted pollution. With the use of a Hybrid vehicle it produces almost no pollution.

Our environment has hit a high of lows. In a brief explanation; There is a natural greenhouse effect that contributes to global warming. Greenhouse gases trap heat, and thus warm the earth because they prevent a significant proportion of infrared radiation from escaping to space.

Concentration of greenhouse gases, especially CO2, have increased substantially since the beginning of the industrial revolution. And the National Academy of Sciences that indicate that the increase is due in large part to human activity--that's 85% of it!

Over the past 100 years there has been an increase of .6 degrees Celsius in global warming. During the 1890s to 1940s there has been a warming trend-- during the 1940s to 1970s there has been a cooling trend. From the 1970s to today a warming trend is sharply rising contributing to the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect traps heat and starts global warming.

The terrorist attack of September 11th raised important questions about what may lie ahead for the world oil market and what it could mean for the U.S. economy. On three occasions...