The Impact of Automobile Use on Pollution

For many years now, the topic of pollution has become a very popular one, and in recent years, it seems to be the only thing that people are talking about. As a car lover, it saddens me to know that 27% of greenhouse gas emissions has contributed to air pollution, but it is true. Now, while that number may not sound too bad, it is an issue that has to be dealt with – and soon. 

Pollution goes way beyond just the surface of contributing to greenhouse gases – it causes major health problems for all forms of life, extinction for some animals, contributes to climate change, and even death, among other things. And if that isn’t a reason to try to make a change then I don’t know what is.

Environmental Impacts of the Automobile Production Process 

Living in North America, it is hard to not think of a city that produces cars. In Canada, its Oakville, Ontario (Ford plant), Oshawa, Ontario (General Motors), Windsor and Brampton, Ontario (Chrysler Group plant), Cambridge and Woodstock, Ontario (Toyota plant), and the Honda Motor Company. 

The automobile was one of mankind’s greatest inventions, and although it comes with some positives, there are also a lot of negatives – one we will be covering is the environmental impacts of the automobile production process. 

Production assemblies are HUGE and if you ever drove past one you would know what I’m talking about. It takes up a lot of space and like the final product, it releases a lot of harmful gases and toxins into the environment. 

Although yes, some might argue that production is a great asset when it comes to benefiting the economy – saving on import and export costs, and lower costs to produce – to name a few, it really isn’t all that it’s chalked up to be – especially if it harms the environment. Cause I mean think about it, without an environment, what do we really have?

Fun fact: ⅓ of the total environmental damage caused by automobiles actually occurs before they are sold and driven

To some that may not be too hard to believe. Like many things, mass produced anything results in a lot of bad things, and given the fact that its cars we are talking about, that’s a whole lot of pollution waiting to be released into lovely mother nature. Automobile plants release sulfuric acid among other things into the environment including smokestack emissions. Car and truck assembly plants are considered among the top ten waste producers in the country according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). 

SMH…The World’s Dirtiest Cars

Come on North America we had one job! Our beautiful land is now known around the world as having the dirtiest cars because of the amount of climate pollution that is being caused (60 tonnes!). The quickest solution would be to impose an agreement that all the cars and trucks we drive around need to be zero-emission….but that sounds so familiar, where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, the Paris Climate Agreement Act! 

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Quick history lesson: In 2015, Canada signed the Paris Agreement (followed by the United States in 2016 under Obama’s leadership). It was put into place to help reduce pollution and to draw significant attention to climate change. The ultimate goal of this agreement is to create a net-zero economy by 2050. Canada is also working to end the exportation of thermal coal no later than 2030. 

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In Canada alone, the average new car will burn 21 tonnes of gasoline in its lifespan, which is equivalent to around 130 barrels of gasoline. But it gets worse, trust me. With the way gas prices have been on the rise lately, it is estimated that it will cost around $35,000 to fill the tank over the life span of the car, although in the US it will cost a bit less.

Did you know that Ontario produces more vehicles than any other jurisdiction?

Auto Emissions and Air Pollution

CO2 emissions have long been linked to the disastrous aftereffects in the world today. It has been proven that emissions from internal combustion engines (ICE) have the most significant environmental consequences of oil production. Ever since they were first introduced, they have been leaving a trail behind that has become hard to erase today.

Some of the issues were only a small taste of what was yet to come, and it was definitely not something that was going to be welcomed with open arms. The Santa Barbara oil spill was the largest oil spill in United States waters at the time. The cause of the oil spill was linked to a well blowout during drilling from an offshore oil platform. 

There are so many examples of different events that caused destruction to the environment in history. One of the most notable was the temperature inversion in 1948 in Donora, Pennsylvania. It lasted 6 days and kept a dense smoke cloud containing sulphur dioxide close to the ground for the duration. By the fifth day (October 30), 17 people had died, and 24 hours later, 2 more. Nearly 43% of the people of the town fell ill, with more than 10% (1,440) “severely affected”. Eventually more incidents of this type were recorded in 2 other places – London in 1952, with 4,000 deaths and New York City in 1953 with 200 deaths recorded. In 1955, Congress enacted the National Air Pollution Control Act that allowed for research to be gathered on air pollution. However, it would take a few years before automobile emissions fit into the picture and even longer to address.

Final Thoughts

No matter how hard we try now, the traditional combustion engine will always be a problem as a contributing factor to climate change. Although they do look nice, they are only adding to an already existing problem and making it worse. The move that Canada made to create a net-zero community is a start, but it will leave many people unhappy with the enforcements that will have to be in place to move this into action. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on our socials!