One of the most guilt-stoking things a climate-conscious person can do is get in a gasoline-powered car. Short of setting a barrel of oil on fire and watching it burn, it's the most direct and obvious way we are messing up the climate system. As of 2020, there were more than 276 million private vehicles registered in the US -- almost one for every man, woman and child. And Americans drove more than 3 trillion miles in those beloved cars. The transportation sector takes the prize for planet-warming emissions, and more than half of it comes from our cars. But what are we expected to do? Sprawling cities were built around the love for personal vehicles. Clearly our societal priorities need a major shift if we're going to get vehicle emissions under control. We need to drive less, and cars need to be more efficient. Even better? All cars should be electric, and our electricity should come from renewable sources. |
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Living car-free is the best thing you can do as an individual to help rein in the climate crisis. |
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We know -- yikes. That's a big ask! But now that you know what the big-ticket item is, you can make adjustments. For example, if your commute is hellish, working from home one day a week or more would help. Experts know this because emissions from transportation dropped 15% in 2020 when, as the Covid pandemic was raging, many people who typically commuted every day worked from home instead. After the great migration to home offices, the International Energy Agency came up with a generalized rule that working from home is a win for people who drive gas-powered cars to work five days a week, and whose commutes are around at least 4 miles each way. |
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What, when and how we drive play a significant collective role in the climate crisis. |
So let's talk about ways to cut that down. Public transportation: Switching from a car to a bus or train will earn you a gold star for climate action, so consider taking advantage of subways, streetcars and buses if you're a city dweller. Carpool: The goal is to increase the number of people in each vehicle on the road. Just having one other person in the car cuts your personal car emissions in half. Buy a car based on fuel efficiency: The next time you need to purchase a vehicle, buy the most fuel-efficient car you can afford. Even something that seems like a small upgrade, going from 25 mpg to 30 mpg, is going to save literal tons of planet-warming emissions. Bike or walk to work: If work is too far, consider a bike or a walk for other destinations: the grocery, the movies, date night at a restaurant. |
Eco-driving. (No, we didn't make that up. It's real.) |
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| High speeds, hard acceleration and braking wastes fuel. In fact, these actions can reduce your car's fuel efficiency by up to 30% on the highway. Using four-wheel drive also decreases efficiency. You should also know that 55 mph (88 kph) is the peak fuel-efficiency speed, if you're driving a non-hybrid, gas-powered car. Anything over that, and you're burning more gas than you need to. |
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If you're already taking public transit, then walking or biking isn't going to help that much more. | |
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You might want to walk or bike for the exercise and fresh air (things you will not get in a subway tunnel or on a city bus), but don't worry for the planet's sake -- you've already done your bit. |
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Make your next car an electric vehicle. |
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If you need to keep your car and you're still keen to do something bigger, you might consider making the leap to electric. It's a big investment, but will eventually pay off in gas savings. EV charging stations are popping up in more and more places, and the range on EVs is getting longer by the day. Analysts predict that by 2040, more than half of new vehicles sold could be electric. Although most of our electricity still comes from fossil fuels today, we need to build this all-electric infrastructure now so we can fully take advantage of renewable energy as it comes online. |
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Living in Seattle, Marley Blonsky was inspired to get a bike of her own after watching commuters strap on their helmets and pedal to work each day. But her excitement was tempered by the limited gear available to plus-size women. Blonsky started a movement that aims to get more people of all shapes on bicycles. |
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Swap one commuting day a week from being alone in a car to one of the following: working from home, taking public transportation, carpooling, walking or biking. Email us at lifebutgreener@cnn.com and let us know how the day goes. | | |
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