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Carbon and Cars
Tue Aug 12, 2003
Listen in RealAudio 
Hi, I'm Bryan Yeaton for The Weather Notebook, with this week's segment on Global Climate
Change.
Right now, in the Climate Change world, there's a lot of talk about how to reduce carbon
emissions, and where to store what can't be absorbed by the atmosphere. Automobiles are often
cited as a major carbon producers, especially the gas-guzzling SUV, or Sport Utility Vehicle.
But cars don't have to be big polluters, according to Dr. William Moomaw of The Tufts Climate
Initiative, at Tufts University. I asked him, "how-stop driving?"
Moomaw: Well, I don't think anyone's saying we need to give that up entirely. I gave the
example that driving up here, every gallon of gasoline that I burned-and that's true of your
gallon of gasoline, too-puts out 20 pounds of Carbon Dioxide. And 100 years from now, 10 of
those pounds will still be in the atmosphere. So that's what we're talking about: a very
long-term impact. The global warming will go on from our actions now. Now, fortunately, the
car I drove up in gets 30 miles a gallon on the highway, and I wish it got 60. If it got 60 I
‘d be putting out just 20 pounds, instead I put out 40 coming up here.
That all sounds pretty "gloom and doom", but Dr. Moomaw doesn't necessarily see it that
way.
Moomaw: We need to just rethink this in terms of how we go about doing things, and the next
vehicle we buy-why can't it be the more efficient model?
Next week, Dr. Moomaw describes how those efficient models might not be too far away.
Our Climate Change seires is supported by The New England Science Center Collaborative.
Regular funding for The Weather Notebook comes from Subaru, and The National Science
Foundation. Check out all our Climate Change stories at our website, www.weathernotebook.org.
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