Do auto manufacturers contribute to global warming?
Yes, they contribute two-fold to global warming. In the first place, the vehicle manufacturing process itself contributes to the carbon burden. The carbon burden is the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere.
The second consideration is the vehicle’s designed purpose: transportation via burning fuel. Add to that the reality that each vehicle’s fuel economy is basically set for its lifetime (that’s a period of up to 10 to 14 years)—and as a result, its exhaust emissions have a tremendous impact on the cumulative effects of global warming.
Each vehicle manufactured, purchased and used adds regularly to the carbon burden of the planet. The more cars sold, the higher the contribution to the carbon load. It’s a simple matter of arithmetic.
But really, how can one car make such a difference?
Consider this: the act of driving a vehicle is the average person's one regular activity that has the single largest impact on the earth regarding climate change. Indeed, for each gallon of gasoline burned, that’s nearly 20 pounds of heat-trapping carbon dioxide released into our atmosphere, not to mention carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulfur—and more.
And here come the numbers: Every 1 million gallons of gasoline consumed by vehicles releases approximately 10,000 U.S. tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Consider the fact that the United States uses approximately 420 million gallons of gasoline per day. Sobering, eh?
Indeed, it's estimated that the United States releases over 8 billion pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per day—and this is just from gasoline.
What portion of this is attributed to SUVs and light trucks?
Shifting demographics and consumer expectations have dramatically increased the sales of light trucks and SUVs, which in general use much more fuel than passenger cars. And as a result, engineering efforts have been geared toward creating more powerful, more luxurious—and bigger—vehicles rather than focusing on efficiency.
Secondly, a loophole in federal legislation deems CAFE requirements applied to light trucks and SUVs not as stringent as passenger car standards. This oversight was from when the original legislation was written in the mid 70s, when light trucks were a small percentage of the market—and SUVs didn’t even exist yet. Yet as their popularity grew, the law has never been amended to rebalance the scales.
Find more answers to your global warming questions:
What is global warming and is it really a concern?How can you help reduce your vehicle's contribution to global warming?