According to the U.S. EPA, sustainability is defined by most as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (U.S. EPA) Although, the word can be put into more ecological terms to mean the ability of humans to live on Earth without harming the environment. Unfortunately, us humans haven't exactly lived by this definition of sustainability. In attempt to live in harmony with the environment, national and worldwide governments have been creating ways to avoid threatening problems like pollution. One of the creations that have been a major success in the world today is the invention of hybrid cars.
Most people don't realize this, but one's choice of which car one will choose makes a huge impact on the environment and amount of pollution emitted into our air. As soon as the new "hybrid" car was introduced into dealerships around the world, everyone was quick to try out the efficient cars as long as they were promoting a cause as troubling as pollution. Before hybrid cars were introduced to us, a normal car's gasoline creates a carbon, that when burned creates nearly 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. By switching to a hybrid car, one can literally save the Earth a couple tons of greenhouse gases.
These fuel-savers are called hybrid because they use the traditional engine but also includes a new source of propulsion or energy that prove to be much more efficient. Two types of the cars now exist, the electric hybrid which uses an electric motor in addition to the traditional engine and the hydrogen or water hybrid which uses hydrogen extracted from water and adds it to the fuel-air mixture of the engine. Of the two, the latter is cheaper to implement and it allows regular cars to be converted easily.
By using any of these two hybrids instead of a normal car, you will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and thereby decreasing air pollution and slowing the problem global warming. Also benefiting from the hybrid cars is our health. Hybrid cars produce less gases that can cause respiratory ailments such as lung cancer; so if all cars in cities were hybrids, unhealthy elements like smog can be greatly reduced. Hybrid cars also produce less noise pollution as they go and electric hybrids will even run totally silent.
Another solution to the issue of pollution is the use of cleaner fuels. Cleaner fuels that have been created are more recognized as biofuel and autogas. Autogas, or otherwise know as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), is a fuel that delivers considerable reductions in carbon dioxide in comparison to petrol. Biofuels are most commonly used to power vehicles, heat homes, and for cooking. A biofuel is a solid, liquid or gaseous fuel obtained from recently lifeless or living biological material. Both of these fuels have proven to be very helpful in the reduction of pollution and the safety of the environment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuel
http://www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9026195&contentId=7048579
www.epa.gov/Sustainability/
Channing M.
