The USA has been one of the major carbon-emitting economies due to a range of factors. Being a major economy in the globe and having a high carbon footprint, it stands out as a perfect pick of a case study on carbon footprint. Through its emissions from factories, high consumption of beef, and exhaust fumes from motor vehicles have put the country at the second spot in the list of highest emitters of greenhouse gases (Hill, 2019). Danelli (2009), notes that the introduction and use of hybrid cars can be used to reduce the gases being emitted into the atmosphere. This has however been put off by the USA and the effects of emissions continue. India's high population also puts it at a high position in the emissions of greenhouse gases. However, efforts by both countries either towards reducing the emissions or moving away from these efforts can be seen in their policies. The fact that the efforts are so evident and highly likely to affect not only India but the world too also makes the country a perfect country for this cases study. The importing rates of oil in India are ranked at number three, signifying how much crude oil is used, which translates into fuels being released in the air. Economies rely on fuel for energy production and since this cannot be avoided, countries invent ways of using less harmful means of producing power.
One of the most universal resources in the world is the atmosphere. The whole universe depends on the same atmosphere and any harm to it by one is harm to all. Greenhouse gases cause such devastating effects on the environment that they are irreversible and bound to make the world even worse (Routes to Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions Transportation Future, 2019). The melting of the ice caps in the world is just one of the effects. This leads to an increase in sea level as well as erratic weather conditions. The destruction of the ozone layer that protects the earth's atmosphere from harmful rays of the sun is another effect. The results are high temperatures due to the lack of the protection aspect of the ozone layer. Pollution of the air has major contributing elements to this destruction. The use of coal to produce electricity is another form of pollution. Even when electric cars are used in such economies, the carbon footprint is still high. Countries such as Paraguay that highly use hydro-electrically produced electricity do not have high carbon footprints as other countries. Coal-using states, however, produce quite an immense amount of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
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Gases emitted from transportation top the list of pollution means in the population. The driving culture in the USA, as well as the lifestyle, encourages ownership of cars. The regulations that had been in place on fuel standards being used by trucks and cars are bound to be done away with by 2021, further propelling the emissions in the future. The lands that had been protected due to the gas and oil in them have been opened up and this has increased fuel in the country. On the other side of the world, India has realized the necessity of reducing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. There has been the introduction of policies meant to introduce electric cars into the economy. The realization of the damage being caused on the environment is clear on one side of the world but is of no concern in another country. The USA's administration has rolled back programs that had seen the country make progress in cutting down carbon emissions (No Drop In U.s. Carbon Footprint Expected Through 2050, 2019). The goal is to maintain a lifestyle that is synonymous to living in the country. President Trumps' administration has put in place measures aimed at returning the USA tits former glory. The country was earlier characterized by isolationism from global politics and was only concerned with issues that affected it domestically. Before President Obama took the issues of the environment seriously and pushed for adherence to international conventions, the USA had not been concerned with universal climate issues. Trump brought back the push for the autonomous USA. Changes in lifestyles due to international concerns is viewed as a move to interfere with the country's autonomy. Therefore, policies that push for the same are not welcome to the administration.
Under President Donald Trump, the USA is determined to leave the Paris Agreement that saw the country promise to reduce emissions by 2025. This is already evident after the carbon emissions over 2018 spiked by 3.4% after there was a decline over the recent past years. The record from this increase is the highest that has been shown in 8 years. Reasons behind this rise unlike any other recorded one can be attributed to prolonged periods of cold and summer. These call for increased use of air conditioners which increase the use of power. Change of lifestyle has been argued by the administration as non-negotiable. There are plans to leave the Paris Agreement by 2020 which further dampens the world's efforts and hopes of reducing the harmful gas emissions into the atmosphere. India, on the other hand, has plans to be using electric vehicles by 2030, in efforts to put in place the recommendations of the Paris Agreement. This shows just how much of a difference exists between the two economies as one struggles to preserve the environment, while the other one matches right back to where it has come from.
Fossil-fuels have been major contributors to greenhouse gases emissions in the world. These are primary fuels that come from crude oil, including petroleum and diesel. Evidently, the USA has been not only campaigning but also practically moving towards an increment in the use of the same fuels. India, however, has goals to be achieved in 2030 that aim at increasing the non-fossil energy forms in the country to 40%. Upon this achievement, the country will be dependent on electricity that is produced ‘cleanly', eliminating the production of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. India extends this move into the motor vehicle industry, requiring that cars produced are powered by electricity and not fossil fuels (Eyes Entry In India's Electric Vehicles Segment, 2019). This is a move that is bound to be a first one, switching all fuel systems in the country. The auto industry has already been taken on board and the plans only need to be implemented. The process will also be advantageous to the economy as approximately 65 million jobs are created by 2026. Indeed, this will cut on oil consumption by the country. As a result, total oil consumption globally will be cut down immensely, leading to an even cleaner and more sustainable environment. On the other hand, the industrialization of the USA takes a primary role in shaping policies in the country. It is obvious that a move to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases would deal a blow to various industries. However, collective and differentiated responsibility in the environment is a concept in the Paris Agreement that the USA was once a willing party to. Consideration should be I place, not only for the country but to the whole world.
Electric cars are one critical way of reducing greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. Dependence on imported oil is reduced hugely and the focus shifts to electricity which can then be generated in a variety of ways (Sood, 2019). For electric vehicles to be as efficient as they are intended as the source of electricity should be from renewable forms of generation. When this is achieved, the rates of pollution of the air can then be immensely reduced. Most of the air pollution occurs in cities and especially when there is traffic congestion. The elimination of the congestion is highly unlikely since the cities are continuously growing to immense sizes. Therefore, the use of electric vehicles would mean fewer emissions into the atmosphere, even when stuck in traffic. Come to think of it, the costs of maintaining an electrically powered vehicle are way lower than those of a car powered by fuel. Despite the high costs of owning the car at first, the costs that come afterward are cheaper. Electricity is cheaper than gas while the costs of the movable parts that are in the engine of a fuel-powered car are cut (Woodford, 2019). The whole engine is replaced by the batteries used and issues such as oil changes are no longer of concern. However, the main objective of cutting greenhouse gases emissions is achieved successfully. The switch from electric vehicles is definitely one move towards preserving the environment that should not only be campaigned for but actualized. The USA has more economic power to enact these changes but the administration is against it as well as established industries that benefit from cars that use fossil fuels.
A look at the literature used and available on the subject as well as touching on the two countries indicates that there are challenges that can, however, be overcome. The current economy design of USA does not allow for abrupt changes towards reducing its carbon footprint. A look into aspects of the economy that could work towards reducing the carbon footprint show that there are internal efforts towards achieving the same. The transport network needs to be changed to counter the effects of the emitted gases that cause climate change (Liljestrand, 2015). A deeper study would come up with ways that can be used to mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases emitted while combining efforts of implementing policies on electric cars. Although the legislation does not explicitly call for the adoption of electricity to power cars, the various stakeholders in the economy have measures that could propel the achievement of a cleaner environment. The process can definitely not be implemented in a one move measure but through steps that are possible.
The challenge of climate change due to the carbon footprint of countries is undeniable. There need to be ways that lower the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (Routes to Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions Transportation Future, 2019). The USA is, however not willing to put in place measures to address the problem. Therefore, it is necessary to come up with means by which the problem can be addressed, without necessarily going through government legislation. Public awareness is an effective tool of changing mindsets as well as in pushing for change. Given that information and data required is produced and available from the USA government, creating progress in environmental sensitization is attainable. There are questions that beg to be answered though. These vary from how the USA's carbon footprint can be decreased even without the direct involvement of the government. It is evident that even the country's demand for coal power has reduced and there are efforts in the country to produce cars that depend on electricity for power. Additionally, the study should look at how India's achievements can be mapped onto the USA's economy and implement the changes required. The literature reviewed has shown that there is some will within the USA's economy and many promising results. However, the hurdles in the way have to be overcome to achieve the goals.
This insight into the literature available brings about questions that can be used to conduct a progressive study. These include:
How can stakeholders in the USA's economy reduce the country's carbon footprint even without pushing for legislation?
What are some elements that can be adopted from India to reduce greenhouse gases emissions in the USA even without policies?
How can public awareness and sensitization be used in the USA to push for a reduction of carbon footprint?
References
Danelli, R. D. (2009). The Use of Hybrid Vehicles as a Proposal for Reducing CO2 Emission and Its Contribution To Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Thermal Engineering, 07-11.
Eyes Entry In India’s Electric Vehicles Segment. (2019, February 10). Retrieved from /www.livemint.com/Industry.
Hill, M. (2019, January 26). Carbon Footprint Facts and Statistics Everyone Should Know. Retrieved from www.oneplantedtree.org .
Liljestrand, C. A. (2015). Using a transport portfolio framework to reduce carbon footprints. International Journal of Logistics Managment, 296-312.
No Drop in USA Carbon Footprint Expected Through 2050. (2019, February 10). Retrieved from www.insideclimatenews.org.
Routes to Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions Transportation Future. (2019, February 10). Retrieved from www.epa.gov.
Sood, J. (2019, February 10). India electric vehicle policy by December: Nitin Gadkari. Retrieved from www.livemint.com.
Woodford, C. (2019, February 17). How do electric cars and hybrids work? Retrieved from www.expalinthatstuff.com.
