Emissions standards explained
Whenever you burn any type of fossil fuel, whether its coal, gas or oil, you create a cocktail of by-products that are released into the atmosphere. Up to a point mother nature can compensate, but with a global population of 7.5 billion, Earth is struggling to cope with the rate at which our precious resources are being used up – as well as the rate at which the environment is being polluted. The global population is very mobile; many of us use planes, trains, ships and cars to travel, while goods are transported vast distances. It’s reckoned that in 2010, for the first time ever, there were one billion cars in use around the world, each one pumping out an array of chemicals, most of them harmful to our health. Air quality has become a massive issue over the past few months, with the private car getting the blame for much of the problem. All forms of transport have a part to play in polluting our air, and fossil fuels are at the root of the issue. Each time you start your car’s engine, this is what comes out of the exhaust and how it affects us: