A Current Look At How Cars Impact the Environment & How Globalization Ties In

Automobiles make up for a significant portion of the greenhouse gases that are sent to our atmosphere. Let's look at the United States as an example of how automobiles are fueling the rapid pace of climate change. American cars and trucks account for more than 50 percent of all the greenhouse gases emitted by automobiles in the world. Americans own only 30 percent of the 700 million automobiles registered in the world, yet this disproportionate ratio remains. The U.S. is an example of how an economic superpower falls behind many countries in terms of its environmental impact to the world.

Globalization plays a substantial role in developing, manufacturing, trading, and selling automobiles across the world. It has opened up new markets for automakers to sell cars that inevitably spew harmful greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. While the United States already has unfortunate results of its contribution to this problem, the issue will only worsen and accelerate if no action is taken to alleviate it. This is because globalization allows cars to be accessed and privately purchased by people from countries that have its first dibs of this transportation revolution. Countries with immense populations such as China (1.4 billion) and India (1.1 billion) are examples of countries that have recently embraced automobiles, mainly due to globalization. In 2007, China exceeded the U.S. in greenhouse gas output, and the automobile per capita ratio is still way below many other nations. The number of cars sold in India is also rising rapidly and the statistics are most likely to see a jump with the introduction of the $2500 Tata Nano - dubbed the People's Car, as many who have ridden scooters and motorcycles will finally be able to afford a car. These two nations are just a handful of examples of how globalization increases demand for cars and continuously damages our environment.