Energy Efficiency

Since fossil fuel burning has produced about three-quarters of the increase in carbon dioxide from human activity over the past 20 years, increasing energy efficiency is a pinnacle aspect of addressing climate change. Cars and trucks consume more oil than all other sources combined, improving energy efficiency with automobiles is a smart solution for public health and the environment.

Fuel Economy
One of the greatest measures of a vehicles efficiency is determined by it’s miles per gallon, the amount of fuel required for an automobile to travel one mile. An extremely effective method to decrease fuel usage across the nation is to work with both the U.S. Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency. Together, these agencies can set standards for auto manufacturer’s to establish average fuel economies.

Hybrid and Electric vehicles
Another alternative to improve fuel efficiency is to create vehicles that have little or zero reliance on oil. Hybrid cars have both an internal combustion engine as well as an electric motor to decrease the amount of fuel consumed. All electric cars obtain all of their power from electric motors, and provide the single greatest opportunity for consumers to reduce oil consumption. Upcoming automobile companies, such as Tesla Motors, are innovating in electric automobile technology and are allowing these cars to be more accessible to the general public.

Carpool and Public transportation
While improving efficiency in automobiles on a singular vehicular basis clearly provides benefits, promoting shared passenger transport has monumental advantages. Carpooling, having more than one person use a single car to travel to a destination, decreases the amount of cars on the road. This reduces unnecessary carbon emissions for people traveling to the same location. Public transportation in the form of buses, subways, and light rail can greatly reduce the carbon emissions in cities which rely heavily on automobiles.Many cities have realized that heavy automobile use is an increasing problem and cities such as Los Angeles, a city that has historically been car dependent, are voting to increase public transportation. Los Angeles Metro has launched a 30/10 initiative to increase mass transit options for Angelenos.