Many people claim to worry about the environment, but continue to drive their exhaust polluting vehicles through a thick layer of smog. Our energy resources are suffering a terrible blow and so few people are actually willing to do anything about it. One solution to consider is the use of a hybrid vehicle. They emit less pollution that a standard oil burning type and offer less gas used per mile! Imagine the savings. But that's not the only reason you should consider a hybrid.
The EPA or Environmental Protection Agency, when doing a comparison between a hybrid and regular vehicle, finds some very interesting facts. Vehicles are tested to determine what type of emissions they are polluting into the air we breathe, then they are rated by those conclusions. Among their choice vehicles, the hybrid along with SUV’s and eventually minivan's are the pick of the liter! The Toyota Camry puts out more than half of what its hybrid counterpart, the Toyota Prius hybrid does, in carbon dioxide. Nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons are diminished by two-thirds and halves supported by their green house emission rating for pollutants. With the exception of trucks, hybrid vehicles have the more favorable of ratings and top their categories over and over. When faced with the fact that hybrids put 97% less pollutants and toxins into the air when compared with gas-burning vehicles, it becomes harder to justify why we continue to drive the latter.
Hybrids are the better choice for so many reasons, including the evidence that they emit fewer pollutants and the fact that they get phenomenally better mpg, between 20 and 30 for larger engine models likes trucks or SUV’s and well into the 60 range for cars! Manuals traditionally get better mpg than automatics, which is evident by the Honda Insight whose automatic gets 50mpg and middle 60's for it's manual. Aside from being more efficient, the greenhouse effect and fossil fuel debate would be null and void by the use of hybrid only vehicles. It's unfortunate that our vehicles only allow for 15 to 18mpg, but can that argument really justify the damage they are doing to our environment? Society as a whole needs to get serious about conserving our fuel, and hybrid vehicles are definitely a step in the right direction.
Have you ever been stuck in traffic on a hot day, in a busy city? How was the air quality around you? Could you take a deep breath and exhale on a smile? Probably not. It's not just the environment we need to concern ourselves with. Our bodies and health suffer from the effects of carbon monoxide and methane, being emitted into the air by our vehicles. We are doing damage to our lungs everyday. Did you know that one third of all air pollution in America is in direct relation to that which our vehicles output? Researchers are studying the effects these pollutants have on the human body as we speak and direct links to cancer are being found. Sounds scary doesn't it? Yet another reason why hybrid cars are the better, more health conscious choice.
If you could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being polluted into the air by 10 tons, would you? The fact of the matter is, 1 vehicle getting 25mpg instead of 20mpg, would do exactly that. The EPA measures the effects these pollutants have on all living things and reports its findings on every industry. Today, with the advance in our technology, there is no reason for the continued desecration of our environment by the use of these inefficient, toxic vehicles. Yes, it's true there is much left to learn and the EPA is continually breaking ground and finding new solutions to old problems. How we put the information they provide us with, to use, is up to us. We are responsible for our world and our bodies and in the long run, it is the population as a whole who will undoubtedly have to answer for our actions or lack thereof.
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Jackson Porter is a staff writer at Environmental Central and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Automobile Enthusiast.
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