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Carbon dioxide
Since 1990 in the United States this is the first time the increase in the emission of carbon dioxide which gets into the atmosphere from cars and pickups has been registered, reports "Environmental Science and Technology". Transport is the main source of carbon dioxide which gets into the Earth's atmosphere which according to scientists, has a global influence on temperature fluctuations including the observed greenhouse effect. About 30% of the carbon dioxide contained in the atmosphere comes directly from exhaust pipes of various types of vehicles, and cars and pickups which move on the roads of the USA are responsible for 62% of this value - explain the analysts from Environemntal Defense who prepared the latest report on the condition of air pollution. The analyses carried out by Environmental Defense (on the basis of research conducted by U.S. Department of Energy's Information Administration) are based on the parameter called carbon burden of a vehicle - this is the approximate amount of carbon dioxide (millions of cubic metres) emitted by a vehicle during exploitation during its whole "life". The parameter is assigned to a given make and to a given model of a car which leaves the assembly line. These types of research is carried out every day, due to which it is possible to predict the condition of the environment and its pollution caused by the increasing numbers of cars. According to analysts, from 1973 to 2008 the emission of pollution into the environment, caused by engine vehicles, rose by 73%. Nevertheless, as the authors of the report noted, from 2006 to 2007 the situation improve and pollution caused by all cars and pickups which left factories in that year decreased by 3%. Data shows that during the last 15 years cars produced by BMW and Toyota were the least harmful to the environment (the highest decrease in the amount of emitted carbon dioxide during the last 15 years - about 15% and 5% respectively) and among the analyzed makes Nissan and Hyundai turned out to be the most harmful (increase in emission by 10 and 15 per cent respectively). |