For the past decade, the United States government has tried to lower air pollution levels through legislation. Because car emissions are probably the greatest contributor to air pollution, states like California have initiated strict "zero emission vehicle" policies in 1990. Under this mandate, all vehicles in California are required to follow strict emissions guidelines. The Environmental Protection Agency is set to phase in similar antismog standards in the rest of the country beginning in 2004 (Ball).
The need for zero emissions vehicles has spurred auto manufacturers to develop new vehicle technologies that cut down on these emissions.
For example, many auto companies are now marketing cars powered by batteries and fuel cells (Ball). By using alternative sources of energy, these vehicles do not produce smog-causing emissions like cars with traditional gasoline-powered engines.
Scientists have also made strides in developing cleaner gasoline for vehicles that still need fossil fuel.
The EPA, for example, recently recognized New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority for its hybrid-electric buses. These new buses use ultra-low sulfur diesel, which significantly reduces their sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions (Wachs).
In addition to reducing emissions, however, these hybrid-electric buses also provide up to 50% better fuel efficiency. By providing clean, fuel-efficient mass transit, these hybrid-electric buses contribute greatly to lowering air pollution levels in New York City.
Many industries are also adapting new technologies to reduce their impact on air quality. Researchers at Lehigh University, for example, have developed a new process to convert the paper industry's pulp mill waste into useful chemicals. Under the previous process, paper companies incinerate these waste chemicals, releasing gasses like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere (Wachs).
However, the new process allows companies to take the previously incinerated waste streams and manufacture commodity chemicals like formaldehyde. Many paper technologies adopted this new technology, eager to profit from their previous waste products. In the process, they also eliminate their carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions (Wachs).
Though controversial, many experts are also pushing for the use of nuclear technology. Today's nuclear reactors have stricter safety features that incorporate lessons learned from past nuclear disasters, like Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. Currently, nuclear power supplies six percent of global greenhouse gases and is a renewable resource (Wachs).
Many other solutions have been proposed to address the problem of the increasing greenhouse effect and global warming. British ecologist Norman Myers, for example, believes that the problem could only be addressed through a combination of approaches. These involve reducing human population by increasing contraception, reducing wasteful consumption and reducing poverty in the developing world. These holistic approaches address the myriad of environmental and social conditions that give rise to global warming (Morgan 56).
Conclusion
In summary, the greenhouse effect has steadily worsened with industrialization, as humans engage in activities that alter the natural balance of greenhouse gases. Restoring these gases to their natural levels requires concerted effort, both through legal and technological means. Instead, this task will require a fundamental shift in lifestyle, particularly for people in the Western world, where most of the fossil fuel is consumed. People must be willing to make sacrifices, to use less gas and to convert to more renewable energy sources.
Whether such changes can be made before the greenhouse effect becomes irreversible, however, remains to be seen.
Works Cited
Ball, Jeffrey. "Fuel for Debate: California Clean-Air Czar's Shift Is New Boost for Diesel Engines." Wall Street Journal. October 24, 2002. Proquest Database.
Morgan, Sally. Global Warming. Chicago: Reed Publishing, 2003.
Robbins, Gary. "UCI's research influential Series: warming." Orange County Register. January 6, 2003: A3. Proquest Database.
United States Environmental Protection Agency.. "Emissions." Global Warming. 23 April 2006. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 23 April 2006 http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/webprintview/Emissions.html.
Wachs, Gail. "U.S. environmental protection agency honors innovators for improving air quality." Pollution Engineering, 34(6). June. 8-11, 2002. Proquest Database.
