Preserving the health of our planet is a big factor driving the search for new
transportation technology. Petroleum motor fuels produce harmful emissions, not the
least of which is emissions of greenhouse gases. There are lots of other problems
caused by harmful emissions - damage from acid rain, respiratory problems and increased
health care costs due to air pollution - but global warming is potentially the most
disastrous.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most the most troublesome greenhouse gas that comes from
human activities - mostly from burning hydrocarbon fuels. From the last ice
age until the industrial revolution in the last century (about 10,000 years), the
atmospheric level of CO2 had varied only about 5%. But beginning with the industrial
revolution and projecting forward to about 2030, the amount of atmospheric CO2 will have
doubled - all in about 150 years time. |
