Chloe B.

VROOM OR DOOM?

Automobiles are the primary cause for more than half of the air pollution in the nation. It is imperative that we start making the switch to electric in order to save our environment from its impending doom.

Imagine a world where no one must stress over the possibility of suffering from illnesses caused by millions of gasoline-burning automobile engines. Imagine living in a world where one never must worry about an inflation of gas prices or the extinction of fossil-fuels. Picture a place where environmental activists smile at the thought of automobiles. Did you know that according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, automobiles are the primary cause for more than half of the air pollution in the nation (Fringle)? Not only does transportation in gasoline-driven vehicles aid in the growth of air and water pollution, but also in the increasing of respiratory ailments across the states. Fortunately, thanks to businesses such as Nissan and Tesla, electric cars have been introduced to provide an escape from the imminent terrors of moving into a future reliant upon gasoline-burning motor vehicles. The switch to these remarkable vehicles is vital in that it will assist in reducing our dependence on foreign oil and in cleaning our atmosphere. As a concerned teenaged citizen hoping to grow old without the stresses that arise concerning gasoline-reliant motor vehicles, I believe it crucial for you to work on further increasing the economic incentives for switching to electric automobiles.

Because gas prices presently are at all-time lows, many car-buying citizens find automobiles using oil as the most intelligent choice when searching the markets. What these citizens do not fully apprehend is the instability of these seemingly low prices. At the moment, petroleum exporting countries are flooding the market with oil, driving prices down, and slowly putting the American fracking companies out of business. However, if a war were to break out between these oil-rich states, our nation has become so dependent on them due to our need of gasoline for driving that many citizens would be in immense turmoil. Besides the dependence of oil prices on our connections with foreign oil markets, the prices can also be influenced by terrorism and hurricanes that occur near critical oil pipelines. To conclude, the oil industry has always been a boom or bust business with prices constantly fluctuating. Thanks to the government’s efforts to reduce pollution through electric car incentives, however, an entire industry has emerged. The batteries that drive these cars are re-fueled by numerous sources – nuclear power plants, solar power plants, wind farm power plants, biomass power plants, and many more. The nature of these multiple sources therein lends itself to a more stable energy market and lower price for decades to come.

Beyond the suffering caused by the instability of the oil industry, citizens also suffer from air pollution released from gasoline run vehicles for many reasons. First of all, poor air quality is known to lead to conditions such as asthma and bronchitis as well as to heighten life-threatening conditions such as cancer, thus adding to the negative effects of gasoline-reliant vehicles by burdening the health care system with the substantial medical costs that follow these dreadful illnesses. In 2013, according to an article from the Union of Concerned Scientists, transportation alone contributed to more than half of the hazardous carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides within the air, and almost a quarter of the hydrocarbons (Delong). Cognizant of this fact, it astounds me that the government has not taken greater action in pushing and increasing funding of electric transportation. Electric cars allow for the saving of a precious nonrenewable fossil fuel and of something even greater, our health and our environment.

I implore you to reflect upon the necessity to publicize the need for non-gasoline-run automobiles. I, a concerned citizen, ask that you, a person whose political stance could be very helpful in influencing many others, delve deeper into understanding that it is imperative to become more comfortable with the idea of living in a world driven primarily through renewable electric power rather than nonrenewable fossil fuels. Where will we be if we do not urge the use of clean and reliable energy use? Imagine a world where one must not worry about unreasonable gas prices, air pollution, sickness, or running out of fossil fuels. We could be closer to this perfect world if we would only place the idea of switching to electric cars to the top of our priority list. For happier and healthier lives for all, I plead that you seek a greater emphasis on the need to make the switch to electric vehicles before it is too late.   

DeLong, Marcia. “Blog ≫ The Equation.” The Equation, 28 Sept. 2014, http://blog.ucsusa.org/rachael-nealer/gasoline-vs-electric-global-warming-emissions-953. 

Fringle, Sam. “How Does Car Pollution Affect the Environment &Amp; Ozone Layer?” Home Guides, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/car-pollution-affect-environment-ozone-layer-79358.html. 


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