Save the Car

You might think that getting rid of your old petrol guzzling vehicle and replacing it with a brand new, fuel-efficient car would be a good thing to do to help the environment. Not so, says science reporter Graeme Quirk. It's true that a new vehicle might use less petrol and therefore emit less carbon dioxide (a major greenhouse gas). However, you have to take into account the fact that someone has to make the new car, and that takes a lot of energy and also produces a lot of carbon dioxide. If you do the sums for the entire life of the vehicle, from assembly line to junkyard, you'll find out that it's better to keep your old car on the road for as long as possible.

Reducing the use of cars (by using alternatives such as public transport or simply walking, living close to work, participating in telephone conferences, sending faxes or emailing) is a better way of reducing environmental impact.

Copyright CTC Productions 2001