Question: Why Should I Care About Using Alternative Fuels Anyway?
After all, it’s the big question on your mind, right: What's the big deal?
Answer:
The reality is that driving your vehicle is the one regular activity that has the single largest impact on the earth regarding climate change.
Yes, think about it: Every gallon of alternative fuel burned is a gallon of petrol not burned. That’s 20 pounds of heat-trapping carbon dioxide not released into our atmosphere, not to mention carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur and more. Plus, each one of those gallons strengthens a nation’s economy and energy independence.
Fossil Frenzy
Did you know that cars and trucks are a significant source—27 percent—of the United States’ carbon dioxide emissions?
Many countries, including the United States, currently depend heavily upon coal, oil and natural gas for energy. The United States actually generates 70 percent of its electricity from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil, but only two percent from renewable sources such as solar and wind. What gives? It’s a complex situation, one that we address in political considerations, in walking the tightrope between industry, government and policy-making.
Yet the facts remain: Fossil fuels are non-renewable which means they utilize the sunlight captured millions of years ago—and are ultimately finite resources that will go extinct, much like the prehistoric creatures for which they’re named. It’s not a pleasant thought: Eventually (and there is great dispute as to when), these supplies will run low and the expense, labor and ability to obtain them will surpass their value.
It’s only a matter of time.Powered by the Sun
So let’s take a look at renewable resources: Think solar, biomass and biofuels. They are called renewable since they are naturally replenished or re-grown, thanks to the power of the sun, in the natural course of the seasons.
And the power of the sun is a force to be reckoned with: 127 trillion kilowatts (kW) of solar energy reaches the earth each hour, and a mere 92 trillion kWh of energy are used worldwide for an entire year.
The sunshine on our faces, the wind through the trees—have the answers been closer than we thought all along?
Using it Well
And it’s not only how we obtain our energy, it’s how we use it. Have we had so much of a good thing we’ve become mindlessly wasteful?
Energy efficiency is all about using less energy in accomplishing the same amount of work. Economy and energy usage—they’re closely tied. For example, in 2002 the carbon dioxide from energy use rose 15 percent above 1990 levels. And during that same period, energy usage had also risen 16 percent.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to catch all those dollars and "sense" leaking out from homes, businesses, schools, industries and government—to funnel it back into needed goods, education and services? It’s all about getting more bang for your buck.
We’re not into scare tactics—don’t get us wrong. It’s all about starting to solve the problems and not leaving them for the generations following in our footsteps.
Alternative fuels are one step in that direction. After all, if we’re all part of the problem, we can all be part of the solution.
Yes, alternative fuels absolutely make a difference.More Hybrid Cars & Alt Fuels Q&A