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News on this issue
Obviously people need to travel, but there are ways of travelling that are more eco-friendly than others. Buses are now mostly fuelled by diesel or petrol, but in some places run on electric batteries that are recharged when the bus goes over certain points. Methane, produced by burning rubbish, can also used to fuel vehicles and is a clean fuel. Money is now being spent on researching hydrogen as a fuel source, and in some cities hydrogen-fuelled buses are being used, but hydrogen is sometimes produced in an unecological manner from coal in order to use it as a clean fuel source in cars.
Diesel can be superior to petrol as a fuel, but vehicles need to be maintained regularly for this to be the case. In optimum conditions, diesel offers greater fuel efficiency and produce less hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, but at the same time they produce more sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. In terms of transporting freight, transport by sea is more energy-efficient than transport by lorries.
But no matter shat fuel is used, in general the private car should be used as sensibly and sparingly as possible, and not used for short trips unless there is no alternative. Walk, cycle or take public transport instead – trains, trams or buses.
Photo of LA traffic. Credit: www.pdphoto.org , Jon Sullivan.
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