Assignment: Calculate Contributions to Air Pollution
A quote from the Earth Policy Institute summed up air pollution from vehicles this way, "while only some motorists contribute to traffic fatalities, all motorists contribute to air pollution fatalities." The point made was that air pollution kills far more people than vehicle accidents (and, for further evidence of this statistic, the article on Tehran's air pollution gave a figure that 3,600 people died in just one month because of their exposure to some of the worst air quality in the world). According to the EPA, emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) totaled 16.3 million tons. NOx comes from fuel combustion in motor vehicles, power plants, and other industrial, commercial, and residential sources, but 9.5 million tons of that total came from vehicles.
Based on a U.S. population number of 304 million people at the time the EPA data was released; determine the following numbers in the table below:
NOTE: 2,000 lbs. = 1 ton; put even the U.S. numbers into lbs.
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Number of people
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Total NOx emissions (lb.)
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NOx emissions due to vehicles (lbs.)
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You
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One
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Your Class
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1
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Your State
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United States
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304 million
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Next, answer the following questions:
1. By 2020, the population of the United States is estimated to be 334 million people:
a. What will the total NOx emissions and the vehicle NOx emissions for that year?
b. What percent (%) increase are these figures as compared with previous figure of 304 million people?
2. What are some ways that you (not just the United States, but YOU) can reduce your contribution to air pollution from your vehicle?
a. Are you already doing some of those things now?
b. Do you currently drive a vehicle or do you use an alternate form of transportation?
Submit this assignment to the designated drop box by the date specified on the Course Schedule.