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HWN Suggests

Gasoline keeps getting dirtier while alternatives keep getting cleaner

Emissions from gasoline aren't rising because cars are polluting more. They aren't. Thanks to fuel economy standards, per-gallon emissions from gasoline combustion are holding roughly steady in the US.

What's rising is emissions from oil extraction and refining.

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Featured

 Better vehicle emissions standards may have saved thousands of Americans

As vehicle emissions drop, so do pollution-related deaths.

 Gas Prices May Be Rising But You’re Still Not Paying for the True Cost of Driving

I want to take a moment to reflect on the true cost of driving. That cost includes not just the price of a vehicle and filling up the tank but also the costs that operating it impose on society, including pollution that drives climate change.

 One way to cut down air pollutants: call an Uber

The cold start of your personal car is what racks up nasty emissions of NOx, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds.

 What’s So Bad About Gasoline?

A gallon of gasoline weighs 6 pounds. When it is burned in our cars, the carbon pulls an additional 14 pounds of oxygen from the air to make a total of 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas that is the main driver of climate change.

Articles of Interest

Gasoline and the environment

Gasoline is a toxic and highly flammable liquid. The vapors given off when gasoline evaporates and the substances produced when gasoline is burned (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and unburned hydrocarbons) contribute to air pollution. Burning gasoline also produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

Fact Check: are diesel cars really more polluting than petrol cars?

For most cars built over the past 20 years that may still be in use, petrol is likely to be less polluting overall than diesel. Petrol cars also require less maintenance to keep them performing at that level. But new, well maintained diesel cars, built to the latest standards have similar emissions to new petrol vehicles.

Oil and Gas May Be a Far Bigger Climate Threat Than We Knew

“Emissions from fossil sources are correspondingly larger than many have been estimating,” Dr. Howarth said. “I find it very convincing.”

The last country on Earth using leaded gasoline just finished its supply

The world is officially rid of one particularly insidious fossil fuel that for decades was a major cause of public health problems in developing countries, especially in Africa.

What Big Oil knew about climate change, in its own words

As I reviewed my findings back in California, I realized that before San Francisco’s Summer of Love, before Woodstock, the peak of the '60s counterculture and all that stuff that seemed ancient history to me, the heads of the oil industry had been privately informed by their own leaders that their products would eventually alter the climate of the entire planet, with dangerous consequences.

What You Can Do to Reduce Pollution from Vehicles and Engines

When shopping for a new car, look for fuel efficient vehicles with low greenhouse gas emissions. These cars can help the environment while potentially saving you money on fuel costs at the pump.

Resources

Coltura

Everyone deserves clean air, a livable planet, and affordable mobility. We can get these things by making a rapid shift from gasoline to cleaner alternatives. Coltura changes policy and culture to accelerate this shift.