"Now I used to think that I was cool,
Running around on fossil fuel,
Until I saw what I was doin',
Was driving down the road to ruin."
From the song 'Traffic Jam" by James Taylor
Hi all !
The holidays are over and here we are forced to get back to work, again!
Recently, there's an interesting discussion going on between me and a friend of mine. It's about how to contribute in reducing global warming pollution despite the recent traffic jam that happened during Chinese New Year.
One of the solutions proposed in my previous post (The Heat is Catching Up), suggested that we should not idle in our car as idling wastes money, gas and generates pollution. Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more gas and creates more pollution compare to restarting your engine (www.adf.org). Therefore, this suggestion can be applied when we are not in the middle of traffic and we are stopping for quite a long time.
But how can we help to fight global warming in this case?
Referring to the cartoon strip above, they suggested that we should ride our bicycles more and drive less, as there are already too much car on the road and driving any type of car STILL pollutes the environment. However, this method is a bit difficult to put into action in our everyday life due to our very hot weather and lack of suitable bike path. If we choose to cycle, we will also face some challenges such as having to face congested traffic or hilly terrain. These are the challenges that you as an individual have to face, and with some determination, I believe that we can overcome it. But for those who feels that this is very inconvenient, cycling or walking to a nearby shop around the neighborhood during cloudy days may sound more convenient.
Well, after doing some findings, I found some ways in cutting global warming pollution despite the traffic jam that took most of our time spent driving on the road.
Here are the results of my findings:-
- Always make sure that the tires on your car are properly inflated and the wheels are properly aligned.
- Keep your vehicle operating in peak performance. Maintenance such as checking the spark plugs, air filters, hoses and belts can reduce the usage of gas.
- When traveling by car, travel light and pack smart as extra weight in your car increase fuel usage. Instead of putting the luggage on the roof or trunk, place it inside the car to minimize drag force and increase mileage.
- Drive your car less aggressively because rapid acceleration and braking can reduce mileage and produce more pollutants.
- If possible, off the air-cond and open the windows when you are driving at slow speed. But opening your windows when you are driving at high speed can decrease the overall efficiency of the vehicle.
- Carpool or use public transportation whenever possible as this can help to reduce congestion on the road and cut global warming pollution.
- Buy a hybrid car or a fuel efficient car if you can afford it.
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world"
-Mahatma Ghandi-
Well, I guess that's all I have to share!
- Jessica Solidau -
- Jessica Solidau -
I think it is difficult for human beings to downgrade their lives when they have worked hard to achieve such comfort. imagine turning off the air condition or riding a bike with the heat wave now.. super burning hot.
ReplyDeleteBut i do agree with Jess that the engineering controls like hybrid cars, travel light etc should be practised.
yes jessica this good ways for reducing globl warming but i have one point to usefull from traffic jam be using some benfit from this be using record in car for example some programme for leadership or planning management or who make presentation who to improvede your self in any usefull thanks .this why we can usefull from same problem to make opportunity
ReplyDeleteWhat I can say is high time for us to switch they way we commute - by using public transport. The government has to play a role here by investing more on public transport infrastructure. Just as the tagline of ERL - Go LoCO2 by travelling in public transport
ReplyDeleteAgree with Cindy, whatever we do to save the environment must be practical.
ReplyDeleteTalking about public transportations,it is agreeable that this can reduce traffic congestion and at the same time reduce pollution. However, this is hard to be applied to places where the public transportations are not enough. Therefore, people will use their own transport instead of waiting for public transport especially when they are in hurry to go somewhere. Maybe we should take a look and learn from other country such as SIngapore on how they manage their public transportations.
ReplyDelete