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We have to stop relying on cars
Our reliance on cars, particularly for single person journeys, is unsustainable.
Cars contribute ten per cent of Australia’s total greenhouse emissions.
The average family car uses non-renewable fossil fuels and releases roughly six tonnes of carbon dioxide into the air each year.
Apart from greenhouse gases, vehicle emissions include harmful air toxins which can cause cancer, birth defects, brain and nerve damage, and long term injury to the lungs and breathing passages.
By using cars less we can improve our health, reduce air pollution, improve the quality of life in our community and protect Australia’s unique environment.
Some things we can do to reduce fuel consumption
WALK more, cycle and use public transport where it’s available.
RECOGNISE the health benefits of incidental exercise such as walking or cycling. To stay healthy we need at least 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity.
Walking or riding a bike one kilometre a day not only keeps you fit—it saves 150 kilograms of greenhouse emissions a year.
There are many existing bicycle routes around urban and regional areas, and hundreds of kilometres of new cycle paths are under construction or at the planning stages.
Many areas have a local cycling group that organises regular rides, special events and get-togethers.
GREATER USE of public transport means less greenhouse gas is generated. Each kilometre saved means that less fuel is burnt, reducing greenhouse emissions.
CHOOSE SHOPS and facilities that are near you to reduce the need to travel, as well as supporting your local businesses.
SHARE TRIPS with friends, neighbours, and workmates by car pooling.
TRY to have at least one ‘car free’ day each week when you leave the car at home.
BEFORE using the car, ask yourself: Is the trip really necessary? Could I achieve what I need with a phone call or email, or a fax?
CHOOSE a less polluting car. A fuel efficient car saves at least 20 tonnes of greenhouse emissions over its life.
The Australian Government’s Green Vehicle Guide rates all new passenger, four-wheel drive and light commercial vehicles based on fuel consumption, and greenhouse and air pollution emissions. For mote details: www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au
BUY the car that meets your needs. Don’t buy a large car unless you really need it—and that includes 4WDs that serve no real purpose unless you do a lot of off-road driving.
DRIVE SMOOTHLY and avoid stop-start traffic: you will save up to 30 per cent of greenhouse emissions. Avoid rapid acceleration and deceleration.
PLAN your car trips to avoid peak hours if possible.
CHECK tyres regularly and maintain the recommended pressure. Tyres that are under inflated increase fuel consumption.
TURN OFF the engine if you are stopped for any length of time such as in a traffic jam. It uses less fuel to start the engine than to leave it idling.
SERVICE the car regularly and have the fuel filter checked. A dirty filter uses more fuel.
DON’T SPEED. The faster you go the more fuel you use, and the greater the harm to the environment. At 110 km/h your car uses up to 25 per cent more fuel than it would cruising at 90 km/h.
DON’T OVERFILL your tank. Stop filling when the pump clicks off the first time. Make sure your fuel filler cap fits properly to avoid evaporation.
DON’T CARRY unnecessary weight in your car. The heavier it is, the more fuel you will use.
MINIMISE use of the air-conditioner. Park in the shade where possible and open the window briefly to release hot air when you start the car. Using the air conditioner on a hot day can increase fuel consumption by anything up to 10 per cent.
DON’T use a roof rack. Additional parts on the exterior of your car - such as roof racks and spoilers, and having the window open - can increase 'drag' and affect fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent.
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HYBRIDS
A hybrid is a vehicle using an on-board rechargeable energy storage system and a fuelled power source for propulsion. The hybrid pollutes less and uses less fuel than a conventional vehicle because the engine is smaller and may be run at speeds providing more efficiency.
The term most commonly refers to petroleum-electric hybrid vehicles, which use internal combustion engines and electric batteries to power electric motors.
Modern mass-produced hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, prolong the charge on their batteries by capturing kinetic energy via regenerative braking. As well, when cruising or in other situations where just light thrust is needed, "full" hybrids such as the Prius can use the combustion engine to generate electricity by spinning a generator to either recharge the battery or directly feed power to an electric motor that drives the vehicle.
This contrasts with all-electric cars which use batteries charged by an external source such as the grid, or a range extending trailer. There is no environmental benefit from an electric car if its batteries are recharged using power generated from fossil fuels.
Nearly all hybrids still require petrol and diesel as their sole fuel source though other fuels such as ethanol or plant based oils have also seen occasional use.
A number of other hybrid vehicles use hydrogen fuel.
BIODIESEL
Biodiesel is a 100 per cent renewable substitute for traditional petroleum diesel fuel, which can be made from canola or any plant or animal oil and alcohol. It is suitable for use in most diesel engines without modification.
Its use results in less engine wear, produces negligible greenhouse gas emissions, and significantly reduces the level of pollutants in exhaust emissions.
Biodiesel blends with petroleum diesel at any ratio. It’s less toxic than table salt, biodegrades faster than sugar, reduces air toxins by up to 90 per cent and reduces cancer causing particulates by up to 94 per cent.
It is also safer to handle, transport, and store than petroleum diesel.
Biodiesel is a superior grade of fuel compared to petroleum diesel fuel. It is more lubricous, and therefore easier on an engine leading to reduced wear and tear. A diesel engine will run more quietly, at a lower temperature, and live a significantly longer life.
In Byron Shire, pure biodiesel made from recycled cooking oil is available from North Coast Biodiesel (http://www.northcoastbiodiesel.com/index.html).
LPG
Liquified petroleum gas (also called autogas) is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as a fuel in heating appliances and vehicles, and increasingly replacing chlorofluorocarbons as an aerosol propellant and a refrigerant to reduce damage to the ozone layer.
It is generally regarded as an environmentally friendly fuel that is comparatively clean both from the standpoint of carbon emissions and low hydrocarbons (70 per cent of those of petrol).
LPG is a by-product of oil production. It would otherwise be burned off in the refining process and be wasted as an energy source.
The four major Australian car manufacturers (Ford, Holden, Mitsubishi and Toyota) offer some LPG models in their locally made range of large family sedans.
All are 'dual fuel' vehicles, with the exception of Ford, whose Falcon LPG model runs LPG only.
LPG is especially popular with taxi owners. Most cabs (typically Ford Falcons) are LPG-fuelled.
Whilst LPG is currently excise-free, an excise will be placed on LPG starting at 2.5 cents a litre in 2011. This will increase incrementally to 12.5 cents per litre (as opposed to the 38 cents per litre excise on petrol) by 2015.
This will be offset somewhat by the Australian Government’s LPG Vehicle Scheme that encourages motorists to convert to LPG.
The scheme provides a grant of $2000 for an approved and fitted LPG conversion of a new or used motor vehicle for private use and $1000 will be paid for a factory-fitted LPG-dedicated vehicle for private use.
Registered vehicle owners can apply for the grant for one vehicle once every three years.
Private purchasers of new LPG units fitted at the time of manufacture of the vehicle or approved and fitted LPG conversion systems of new or used motor vehicles are eligible for support under the Scheme.
ETHANOL
Ethanol (ethyl alcohol, C2H5OH) is an alcohol made by fermenting and distilling simple sugars. Ethanol is predominantly produced from agricultural crops including wheat starch and sugarcane.
Most new, and many older cars can run on ethanol blended petrol as long as the fuel meets the octane requirements for the vehicle. The Australian Government has limited the level of ethanol in petrol to a maximum of 10 per cent.
There are about 260 service stations selling ethanol in Australia. BP, Caltex and Woolworths all have plans to significantly increase the number of ethanol retail sites.
The main environmental benefit of using ethanol blended petrol is that it comes from agricultural crops that are renewable, unlike refined petroleum product from crude oil, which is a finite resource.
The production of ethanol is generally regarded as greenhouse gas neutral.
Ethanol has a lower energy content than petrol. Consequently the use of ethanol blended fuels results in a loss of fuel economy. The higher the ethanol blend, the greater the loss in fuel consumption.
A 10 per cent ethanol blend results in a loss of fuel consumption of around three per cent.
HYDROGEN
A small number of experimental hydrogen cars currently exist, and a significant amount of research is underway to try to make the technology viable.
The advantages of hydrogen are enormous: no more smog-forming exhaust gases, no more carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming, and no more worries about diminishing oil supplies and rising prices.
But there are many issues to be resolved before mass-produced hydrogen cars will start appearing on the streets.
Where will the hydrogen come from? How will motorists fill up? How will cars store the fuel?
And there’s also the question of how best to tap the energy in the fuel for good on-road performance.
Two kinds of engines can use hydrogen as a fuel – those that have an internal combustion engine converted to use hydrogen and those that are made up of a stack of fuel cells.
Internal combustion engines have powered cars since they first began to replace horse-drawn carriages more than 100 years ago. These engines can be converted to run on a variety of fuels, including hydrogen. When hydrogen burns, the only by-product is water, unlike the pollutants given off by burning petrol and other fossil fuels.
However, most car makers think that fuel cells powering an electric motor offer a better alternative. Electric cars are hardly a new idea, but the need to recharge heavy stacks of batteries after relatively short journeys has stopped them becoming popular. Now fuel cells have made electric cars practical.
Unlike batteries, which store electricity, fuel cells make electricity as they go. Recent developments in technology have greatly increased the amount of power that a stack of cells – small enough to fit under a car’s bonnet – can provide. This has opened up the prospect of non-polluting electric cars with the levels of performance we expect from conventional vehicles.
The big advantage of a fuel cell engine over an internal combustion engine running on hydrogen is its greater efficiency. The same amount of hydrogen will take a fuel cell car at least twice as far as one with a converted internal combustion engine.
Air travel is the world's fastest growing source of greenhouse gases.
Globally the world's 16,000 commercial jet aircraft generate more than 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
One person flying a return trip between Australia and Europe generates nearly five tonnes of CO2.
Planes produce the same types of emissions as cars and trucks. In particular, aircraft jet engines produce carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, oxides of sulfur, unburned or partially combusted hydrocarbons, particulates, and other trace compounds.
As with surface vehicles, aircraft produce carbon dioxide through combustion of petroleum-based fuel.
At cruise altitude, a jet plane's vapour trails made up of tiny ice particles from nitrogen oxide emissions, contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect.
The huge increase in aircraft pollution is largely due to the rapid growth in air traffic which has been expanding at nearly two and half times average economic growth rates since 1960.
Global air traffic has quadrupled since 1970, from 350 billion passenger miles a year to 1,500 billion passenger miles a year.
This is forecast to more than double again by 2015 to 3,400 billion passenger miles annually.
Without curbs, aviation will produce 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by 2015 - a 159 per cent increase on 1992. Emissions of nitrogen oxides from aircraft will more than double to 4 million tonnes a year.
DO YOU really need to fly? Can you reduce the amount of air travel you do?
BUSINESS trips can sometimes be avoided with the use of video or teleconferencing.
CONSIDER holidaying at home in Australia instead of travelling overseas. The environment and the economy will both benefit. You can always see those faraway places on Discovery channel.
OVER short distances (e.g. routes around 500km) air travel produces up to three times more carbon dioxide per passenger then rail.
The growing demand for new infrastructure
The ever increasing volume of traffic on our roads puts enormous pressure on road infrastructure, which in turn has major environmental impacts.
For years, the solution to the rising levels of congestion has been to build more and bigger roads, bridges and tunnels. Better roads and improved accessibility encourage still more traffic to occur in these areas, creating a vicious circle of increased congestion.
Although road improvements will continue to be an important strategy for providing mobility, governments are finding difficulty in finding the financial resources to build new road systems.
Often there is strong public opposition to new and bigger roads that disrupt and detract from urban and residential areas; in addition people living near major road systems are concerned for the noise and air pollution that surrounds these roads and the damage it may have on their health and quality of life.
This is the situation in northern NSW where the realignment of the Pacific Highway is disrupting communities and having a negative impact on the environment.
The current highway is dangerous, inefficient, and carries too high a volume of traffic for the conditions.
The solution is to reduce the volume of traffic by diverting trucks to the New England Highway and by forcing more freight to be carried by rail.
The existing highway could then be improved and upgraded at far less cost, and with minimal impact on the environment.
You can help by lobbying your Member of Parliament and writing letters to you local newspaper.
Vehicle numbers
on the increase
The number of vehicles on our roads is growing all the time.
At last count (October 2005) there were an estimated 13.9 million registered vehicles in Australia for a population of 20 million people.
Each travels an average of 14,800 kilometres a year, and total fuel consumption is a staggering 28,967 million litres a year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Between October 2001 and October 2005, the number of registered vehicles increased by 1.5 million vehicles (12.5%).
Fuel consumption increased by 3,019 million litres (11.6%) in the same period.
Of the total fuel consumed 64.6% was petrol and 30% diesel.
Passenger vehicles (78.9%) make up the largest group of registered vehicles followed by freight vehicles (17.4%).
The remainder are buses, motorcycles and non-freight carrying trucks.
Lobby for better
public transport
The Northern Rivers region of NSW is poorly served by public transport, especially since the closure of the Casino to Murwillumbah rail service in April 2004 which saw the end of rail services in the Byron Shire.
The NSW Government went ahead with the closure against advice, and despite the region’s growing need for better public transport.
The Northern Rivers has a population of 271,056 people, and has one of the highest rates of population growth of any Australian region outside the capital cities.
All residents of the Byron Shire can help get our trains back by lobbying the NSW Government, by supporting lobby groups such as TOOT (Trains On Our Tracks) and Northern Rivers Trains for the Future Inc (NRTF), and by making your feelings known to your local Member of State Parliament.
The Minister for Transport is the NSW Deputy Premier, John Watkins.
The Minister's contact details are:
Phone: 02 9228 4866
Fax: 02 9228 4855
Email:dp.office@watkins.
minister.nsw.gov.au
Address:
Governor Macquarie Tower, Level 30,
1 Farrer Place,
Sydney, NSW 2000.
•Fact
If every vehicle owner in NSW drove an average of 1km a day less, we would save 130 million litres of petrol a year