The automotive industry is a large industry where there is potential for trying improve emissions standards in the United States. The Obama Administration has committed to tougher standards than have been adopted in the past. This sector has the potential to be both economically helpful to citizens as well as lower emissions.The administration has proposed regulatory changes that would increase the prices for automobiles around $1,100 in the short term, but would improve savings by $3,000 over the life time of the automobile as is described in the New York Times article, New Standard Links Mileage and Gas Emmissions. Our economy relies on cheap fuel to help support personal automobiles and trucking of goods around the country. Because our country has already industrialized, our country should act as an example of what to do and what not to do. Countries like China will not be able to count on huge sources of natural resources as the United States did to undergo industrialization. There are now both environmental constraints and dwindling natural resources.
Countries like China, which are still developing transportation infrastructure would do well to set up their cities to rely more heavily on other less polluting forms of transportation like trains and learn from our mistakes. China is moving ahead with green automobile technologies, which is helping it to be a leader in the industry.
Hopefully, they will reduce the consumption of these automobiles will contribute to a cumulative reduction in green house gases. When
When comparing World emissions it can be disheartening to see that the United States has been comparatively slow to act on fuel emission standards (pictured in the graph below).
The United States may be the current world supper power right now. However, unless we improve our environmental standards significantly and become an environmental leader in the world, our country will be left behind by countries with more innovative and sustainable standards. The existing legislation is not sufficient to meet reductions goals, which are requisite for our country to stabalize at acceptable levels. This is discussed in more detail within the report How to Avoid Dangerous Climate Change: A Target for U.S. Emissions Reductions. The United States needs to take a stronger stand on fuel economy standards, because this is an important sector of our economy that can be improved. Companies like Honda and Toyota are flourishing with new more gas efficient technologies, while companies like Ford and GM are suffering from touting less gas efficient vehicles. The United States needs to have the immediate implementation of more stringent standards that are flexible, which is emphasized in the Climate Change: Current Issues and Policy Tools report to congress. The graph above indicates that the United States is already behind in emissions efficiency standards. The current bills proposed in the senate do not appear to be stringent enough. The United States needs to be role model to developing countries like China, so that their growth is more sustainable and less environmentally damaging. One hard change is fundamental changes to our whole transportation system. Biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen fuel cells are all considerations that have should be considered. Ultimately, any solution that are considered will need to be viewed not just by a technological and economic lens, but must also be analyzed through the ecological lens for potential environmental consequences.
Tags: China, ecological lens, fuel economy, Philip Rothrock, Public Policy, US Energy Policy
