By Fraser Perkins —
Pop Quiz!
Using a gallon of gasoline releases how much CO2 into the atmosphere?
Circle the correct answer…no peeking :).
- 1 pound
- 5 pounds
- 10 pounds
- It doesn’t. All the added CO2 from the start of the Industrial Revolution comes from volcanic eruptions as some Republicans have suggested.
- None of the above
Answer: none of the above. One gallon of gasoline releases 20 pounds of CO2.
There are at least two ways driving less helps the environment.
Directly: If you normally drive 10,000 miles per year and your car gets 25 MPG, your driving creates 8,000 pounds of CO2 per year. Cut this down to 9,000 miles per year and you reduce your CO2 footprint by 800 pounds. If your car gets less than 25 MPG, driving less drops your CO2 footprint even more.
Indirectly: The halo effect is the positive impression you may create in others, which may lead them to do as you have done. Drive less and others may do likewise. No need to harp on this, just casually mention it in everyday conversation.
One person responding to the Climate Crisis counts for nothing, all of us acting together counts for everything. Pick the low hanging fruit – try walking, biking, carpooling, zooming and combining errands to cut out 100 miles of driving this month. Be bold – try it. You may even like it. 🙂
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