Climate is the average weather condition of a place for an extended period of time that is 30-35 years. Climate change is the change in global and regional climate trends which can be linked largely to the increased levels of greenhouse gasses such as carbon (IV) oxide which comes from fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are those fuels that are natural and mostly are extracted from the earth. A major characteristic of them is that they are non-renewable. They include natural gas, petroleum, and coal. When burnt, they release carbon (IV) oxide into the atmosphere thus a large amount of it leads to climatic change. When a varied weather pattern has lasted for an extended period, for instance, decades to millions of years, it is considered climate change. Climate change is a product of various factors such as solar variations received by the earth, volcanic eruptions that happen to release gasses to the atmosphere and also human activities. Human activities have been and still exert great influences on climate often being the frontline contributors to climate change. These activities include the use of environment unfriendly chemicals in factories, use of fossil fuels in transportation and destruction of natural vegetation such as forests that purify the air. Transportation has a great significance to the volume of carbon released into the atmosphere thereby resulting in global warming which is defined as a rise in the average global temperature (Daniel Suzuki Foundation, 2014). Climate change is ranked as one of the serious environmental threats we are experiencing at the moment. It is mainly associated with human activities such as transportation whereby the burning of fossil fuels releases a lot of carbon into the atmosphere. Therefore, there is an urgent need to reduce the volume of carbon (IV) being expelled into the atmosphere.
Climate change possesses a threat to human and animal species living on the planet. Climate change causes a drastic shift in weather patterns. It is characterized by factors such as global warming which have an impact on the arctic regions of the world. The Arctic regions have snow and ice, and with the rising temperatures, these are beginning to melt and therefore shall cause flooding in some areas. All these are being attributed to the extensive use of nuclear and fossil fuels which continually emit carbon into the atmosphere. There are various solutions that have been developed by scientists and environmentalists in attempts to reduce the amount of carbon (IV) oxide being expelled into the atmosphere. There is advocacy for the use of renewable sources of energy in exchange for nuclear and fossil fuels. The renewable sources of energy include the sun which is a source of solar energy, the wind, electricity, and geothermal power. All these come from natural elements and cause no harm to the environment in addition to being renewable. There is the need for a rationalized use of carbon-based fuels in the processing of gradually phasing them out in an attempt to save the environment (Mac Elroy, 2016). Instead of using private transportation, people are recommended to use public transport to save energy and reduce the amount of carbon (IV) oxide expunged into the atmosphere. There have been electric cars invented, and these use electricity which is a renewable source of energy. Biofuels are also a better option in comparison to the fossil fuels as they are carbon neutral (Timilsina and Zuberman, 2014). Biofuels are from natural elements and can produce nearly the same amount of energy like fossil fuels and are environment-friendly hence should be preferable in comparison to fossil fuels which contribute to climate change. Riding bicycles instead of using cars especially for short distances is very helpful to individuals and the environment. It is a good form of exercise together with walking. These save a lot of energy. Car pooling and car sharing are also beneficial. When heading to the same direction or playing a common route, car-pooling is very efficient. It helps to save fuel, money, and energy. The quantity of carbon expelled into the atmosphere is less in these scenarios compared to when everybody adopts private transportation. There are also other means such as hybrid cars and hybrid electric power chains, fuel cells and battery-driven electric vehicles (Howey, North & Martinez, 2010).
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Biking and walking are by far the best means of reducing carbon (IV) emission into the atmosphere. Biking is more convenient. First, it should be mentioned that bikes are cheaper compared to vehicles. They are also easy to handle, use and maintain, unlike automobiles. Bikes are affordable by anyone and can use any route regardless of the condition be It a dry weather road or a tarmac road. All bicycles need to run is human effort and energy, but little amounts of fossil fuels are needed in oiling and greasing which has an insignificant impact on the atmosphere. They are very convenient for short distances too as they provide exercise to the user. Use of bicycles exercises an individual's muscles and whole body allowing them to keep healthy while at the same time physically fit. The bicycle itself is not difficult to ride or expensive to maintain. Riding is a simple process of steering, pedaling and balancing. Mountain bikes are well tuned with gears so as to rides easily in hilly regions. These gears are easy to manipulate depending on the terrain and route being taken and can assist one to moderate the energy spent in riding. The icing on the cake is that one does not need a license to own a bicycle; neither does one need legal approval to use the bicycle.
Despite all these advantages, there are still some disadvantages associated with using these bicycles. Disabled people especially those who are lame or incapacitated in locomotion cannot use them. The number of people who can use the bicycle on a given trip is limited. At most two people can use it, which is one person being carried by the other on a saddle. One may get tired in hilly and mountainous places or if it is over a long distance. However, there are e-bikes to counter such. These are easy to operate and require less human effort to use. The protection offered by a car from the rain and other elements such as the wind cannot be offered by a bicycle. The comfortability of using the bicycle is not assured since it has a narrow seat and a lot of concentration is required in riding it. Unlike the vehicle where an individual can carry a lot of goods regardless of the size, the bicycle can carry a few goods, which are not so big or cumbersome. However, the benefits of using the bicycle outweigh the negatives, and with regard to the carbon emission that causes climate change, bicycle riding is more efficient. It does not affect the environment ecologically, leads to saving of gas and money and also reduction of carbon particles being emitted to the atmosphere. There ought to be policies instituted in place to establish biking as a formal means of transport. There should be road infrastructure than can secure bikers and at the same time prevent interference with cars and pedestrians. It should be noted that a change from motoring to biking could reduce carbon emissions up to 11% (Schmitt, 2015).
If I switched to using a bicycle for my daily errands and other activities, I would save a lot of money and gas. The schedule is quite simple. There is the daily drive to school and back. At most, I make three full trips to town stores and other places to get shopping, groceries and other necessities for daily life. If is use a bicycle to school and to visit friends while I use the car for shopping and visits to the town center because of the load, it would be reducing carbon emission and saving a lot for myself. The National Price of gas stands at $2.28 while in California, It stands at $3.00 and the Bay Area stands at $3.02 (Patch, 2017). I use one two liters on a daily basis to school and much less when visiting friends and minor errands hence making an average of 21 liters a week. If multiplied by the current gas rates, I spend $ 63.126 on gas. If I switch to bike riding, this is the amount I will be saving.
Redwood City has a population of 81.342 people out of which nearly 50% own automobiles. If 20% of the Redwood City car-owning population switched to bike riding, which would mean approximately 8,134 people would be using bicycles in the city. These people would be able to save 513, 480 in total for gas. The rate of carbon emission would also reduce by nearly 11% as aforementioned. It is evident that reduction of carbon emission by changing to environment-friendly means of transportation could be cost saving to all the stakeholders involved. It would also help in preserving and protecting the environment.
References
Timilsina, G. R. & Zilberman, D. (2014). The Impacts of Biofuels on the Economy, Environment, and Poverty. Natural Resource Management Policy , 41, 111-122. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-0518-8_9
Daniel Suzuki Foundation. (2014). What is Climate Change? Retrieved from http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/science/climate-change-basics/climate-change-101-1/
MacElroy, J. M. (2016). Closing the carbon cycle through rational use of carbon-based fuels. Ambio, 45(Suppl 1), 5–14. http://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-015-0728-7
Schmitt, A. (2015). How Much Can Bicycling Help Fight Climate Change? A Lot, If Cities Try. Streets Blog USA. Retrieved from: http://usa.streetsblog.org/2015/11/18/how-much-can-bicycling-help-fight-climate-change-a-lot-if-cities-try/
Howey, D., North, R. & Martinez, R. (2010). Road Transport Technology and Climate Change Mitigation. Grantham Institute for Climate Change Briefing Paper No 2. Retrieved from https://workspace.imperial.ac.uk/climatechange/Public/pdfs/press/GranthamTransportBriefingPaper.pdf
Patch, C. A. (2017). Gas Prices in Redwood City, Bay Area Jump 15 Cents a Gallon . Redwood City Patch. Retrieved from https://patch.com/california/redwoodcity-woodside/gas-prices-redwood-city-bay-area-jump-15-cents-gallon
