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25% of Cars Cause 90% of Automobile Air Pollution

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Re: 25% of Cars Cause 90% of Automobile Air Pollution

#51
And 99% of those 25% are probably in the developing world, and the ex-USSR.

I've been all over the planet, and I have yet to see trucks which emit thick black smoke straight from the engine (no exhaust system) like the ones Russia and other ex soviet states are absolutely chock full of.

Edit: Also, only place on earth I've ever seen a petrol pump with the choices of 60, 80, or 85 octane fuel. Pinkpinkpinkpinkpink.

Re: 25% of Cars Cause 90% of Automobile Air Pollution

#52
post #19

Here in Europe (well UK and Spain whee I have lived and owned a car) you need to get a check every year for older cars, and that includes an emissions test. Don't you get that in the States / Canada? (It would appear that the study was done in Canada). Saying that, go to many less developed country and the cars are far worse condition. My friend always used to claim that the environmental cost of producing a new car…

It varies by region. The other commenters in this thread seem to be from Ontario. In Victoria, where I'm from, your car does not have to meet any kind of standards at all unless it is involved in a collision, in which case an insurance inspector will tell you what needs to be done (if it's an old car they usually tell you to scrap it), or a cop tells you to get it inspected (this is called a Vehicle Inspection ticket). Otherwise, it's sailing rules - anything that isn't expressly forbidden is allowed.

Across the water in Vancouver you do have to pass an emissions test.

Re: 25% of Cars Cause 90% of Automobile Air Pollution

#53

And 16-container ships create as much pollution as all the cars in the world. Perhaps these ships are softer targets to correct than tens of millions of cars? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1229857/How-1...

How does that work out on a per ton/mile kind of equation though? My guess would be that the big ships produce less emissions than say a tractor trailer on a per TEU basis.

Re: 25% of Cars Cause 90% of Automobile Air Pollution

#54
post #43
post #19

Here in Europe (well UK and Spain whee I have lived and owned a car) you need to get a check every year for older cars, and that includes an emissions test. Don't you get that in the States / Canada? (It would appear that the study was done in Canada). Saying that, go to many less developed country and the cars are far worse condition. My friend always used to claim that the environmental cost of producing a new car…

We had a similar program in British Columbia, called AirCare. Unfortunately, people realized that you could use solutions to flush impurities out of your engine, and then if you let your gas tank get close to empty then put a quarter tank of premium in, your car would burn cleaner and get you a pass, even if it would normally fail. Eventually the program was scrapped, due to fewer cars failing (8%, down from 14%, whi…

That's worth remembering with a car as crappy as mine....

Re: 25% of Cars Cause 90% of Automobile Air Pollution

#55
post #43
post #19

Here in Europe (well UK and Spain whee I have lived and owned a car) you need to get a check every year for older cars, and that includes an emissions test. Don't you get that in the States / Canada? (It would appear that the study was done in Canada). Saying that, go to many less developed country and the cars are far worse condition. My friend always used to claim that the environmental cost of producing a new car…

We had a similar program in British Columbia, called AirCare. Unfortunately, people realized that you could use solutions to flush impurities out of your engine, and then if you let your gas tank get close to empty then put a quarter tank of premium in, your car would burn cleaner and get you a pass, even if it would normally fail. Eventually the program was scrapped, due to fewer cars failing (8%, down from 14%, whi…

Scrapping a program beause it is suceeding (per its own metrics) but not finished yet, is insane.

Re: 25% of Cars Cause 90% of Automobile Air Pollution

#56

And 99% of those 25% are probably in the developing world, and the ex-USSR. I've been all over the planet, and I have yet to see trucks which emit thick black smoke straight from the engine (no exhaust system) like the ones Russia and other ex soviet states are absolutely chock full of. Edit: Also, only place on earth I've ever seen a petrol pump with the choices of 60, 80, or 85 octane fuel. Pinkpinkpinkpinkpink.

They took measurements in Toronto

Re: 25% of Cars Cause 90% of Automobile Air Pollution

#57
post #54
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We had a similar program in British Columbia, called AirCare. Unfortunately, people realized that you could use solutions to flush impurities out of your engine, and then if you let your gas tank get close to empty then put a quarter tank of premium in, your car would burn cleaner and get you a pass, even if it would normally fail. Eventually the program was scrapped, due to fewer cars failing (8%, down from 14%, whi…

That's worth remembering with a car as crappy as mine....

Please also consider not poisoning your neighbors.

Re: 25% of Cars Cause 90% of Automobile Air Pollution

#58
post #49

And 16-container ships create as much pollution as all the cars in the world. Perhaps these ships are softer targets to correct than tens of millions of cars? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1229857/How-1...

Ships are not usually found in the middle of cities.

Have you ever been to Long Beach CA? Take a look at the (frequently) dozens of containter and tanker ships idling just offshore. Any major port city will have the same issue, transport ships waiting, for various reasons, just outside of a port with their engines running. Any refrigerated cargo needs to be cools, which requires power, which means that they run 24x7 while sitting around.

there was a push to improve shore-power options for these ships a while back, but i'm not sure where it went. probably deemed to costly or intrusive by the shippers.

Re: 25% of Cars Cause 90% of Automobile Air Pollution

#59
post #28

What i allways ask myself is for example if someone has an old car which polutes more than a new one, what would polute more to buy a new one or to continue to use the old one. Because producing the new car releases a lot of polutants as well. I have never investigated this.

That's a sad reflection on out throwaway economy. Obviously repairs are often a much cheaper option. Further cars limited lifespan so 1 new car could mean replacing 15 cars 1 year sooner.

Re: 25% of Cars Cause 90% of Automobile Air Pollution

#60
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would mandatory smog checks never be politically feasible? They are not just a California-only thing.

Because the Big Three car makers and the National Association of Manufacturers run this state. They said it will "increase costs" and "cost tons of jobs" if a smog law was passed, since they will have to spend more to pass the tests.

It is also a PR thing: they don't want the government to admit that the cars are pollutants.
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