If you own a fuel efficient gas-powered car, a study from the Journal of Industrial Ecology suggests that you should hold onto it longer rather than running out to buy an electric vehicle right away. It takes a lot of energy to make a new car, and these researchers determined that 24% of a car's lifetime carbon emissions is a result of the manufacturing process. Even building electric cars has a carbon footprint.
As reported by studyfinds.org, the study concludes "that if car owners keep their vehicles on the road 10 percent longer before sending them to the scrapyard, the overall carbon footprint of cars would decrease by 30.7 million tons. That’s the equivalent of a one-percent decrease in CO2 emissions. Researchers say the reason of this is manufacturing new vehicles actually produces more greenhouse gases than continuing to drive existing cars — even if they use gasoline. The environment would also see a benefit if owners of brand new cars kept their vehicles longer before trading them in. Study authors say there would be a one-percent drop in carbon footprint if new car owners hold on to their rides 10 percent longer."*
*https://www.studyfinds.org/keeping-old-cars-help-environment-more-than-new-electric-cars/
Photo by Robert Couse-Baker, Flickr
As reported by studyfinds.org, the study concludes "that if car owners keep their vehicles on the road 10 percent longer before sending them to the scrapyard, the overall carbon footprint of cars would decrease by 30.7 million tons. That’s the equivalent of a one-percent decrease in CO2 emissions. Researchers say the reason of this is manufacturing new vehicles actually produces more greenhouse gases than continuing to drive existing cars — even if they use gasoline. The environment would also see a benefit if owners of brand new cars kept their vehicles longer before trading them in. Study authors say there would be a one-percent drop in carbon footprint if new car owners hold on to their rides 10 percent longer."*
*https://www.studyfinds.org/keeping-old-cars-help-environment-more-than-new-electric-cars/
Photo by Robert Couse-Baker, Flickr
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