The environment is pretty much at the forefront of most people’s minds. Nearly every day we hear stories about how industrial plants are pumping out toxic chemicals into the environment, or emitting fumes into the atmosphere.
But arguably the biggest cause of air pollution are motor vehicles. Regardless of whether a car has a petrol or diesel engine, cars contribute around 333 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, or 20% of the world’s total.
In a bid to lower vehicle emissions, some governments around the world have taken to heavily taxing vehicles that emit the most carbon dioxide from their tailpipes. But if you drive a modern car with a fuel-efficient engine, is there anything else you can do to lower your car’s emissions?
It turns out that, yes, there are many things you can do to lower your car’s annual carbon footprint! Here are some practical ideas to help you get started.
Don’t drive unless you have to
It may sound strange, but one thing you can do is to just not drive your car as much as you do now! If you think about it, the more you use your car, the higher your carbon footprint will be.
For short, local journeys, consider an alternative method of transportation such as going on the bus or train, cycling and even walking. For example, I live around 10 miles away from my nearest city.
Rather than getting behind the wheel and driving myself into the “big smoke,” I can walk to my nearest train station (a 7 minute walk at best) and get on a train that will take me into the city centre in less than 20 minutes.
If I drove into the city, I would have to pay for the petrol to get there and back, not to mention the ridiculously-high parking charges.
Don’t break the speed limit
When you do have to drive, make sure that you stick well within the speed limit. Used car experts cardealwarehouse.co.uk recommend having a light right foot.
That is because you won’t necessarily get to your destination significantly quicker; you will use less fuel, and you won’t have as high an amount of toxic fumes coming out of your tailpipe!
And perhaps the biggest advantage of sticking within the speed limit for the roads that you travel on is the fact you won’t get pulled over by the police for speeding!
Buy an electric car
Is most of your driving within your local town or city? If you hardly ever venture out of your immediate area, buying an electric car could be a sensible alternative to rolling around in your thirsty petrol or diesel car!
Electric car charging infrastructure is improving on a daily basis, and the cost to run such a vehicle for those that only travel with town or city limits will be significantly cheaper than running a car with an internal combustion engine.
Electric cars are also quiet, so if you work night shifts, for example, you won’t wake your neighbours up late at night!
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