Why are cars bad for the environment?
Today, Dad drove me and Mika to the park near our house. On the way there, we saw our friend Fathima riding her bicycle to the park. I asked her why she was riding her bicycle and not driving a car, and she said that cars are bad for the environment.
While I was playing on the slide, Fathima explained to me how cars contribute to climate change. “Most cars run on petrol or diesel,” she said. “When these fuels burn, they create lots of tiny particles of soot. These tiny particles make the air dirty and are harmful to us and other living things. Cars also release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), which trap heat in the atmosphere and cause global warming.”
I have often seen this dirty air in traffic, coming from the exhaust pipes of large trucks and cars. Mika even saw it when he flew high up in the atmosphere in the HALO aircraft during the HALO-(AC)³ aircraft measurement campaign. Mika said the scientists called these tiny particles aerosols.
I asked Fathima if aerosols are really that important for clean air. Fathima continued: “Yes, aerosols affect air quality both near the ground, where we live and breathe, and high up in the sky. Although they are really tiny, they are so powerful that they can even affect the clouds and the energy around us, contributing to climate change. Once the air is polluted, it is very difficult to clean it again. So just as we keep our bodies clean, we must also keep the air around us clean.”
On the way home, I talked to Dad about it. He agreed that the next time we go to the park, we will walk or ride our bikes. For longer distances, we can also take the bus or train, which are better for the environment than cars.
