Burning fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas for energy is the major source of human-derived carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions across the globe.
These emissions, including CO2, are known as greenhouse gases and are responsible for trapping heat from the sun in the Earth’s atmosphere. This phenomenon is known as the ‘enhanced greenhouse effect’ and is what drives climate change. While CO2 is the main, and most commonly known greenhouse gas produced by our everyday internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles , they also produce nitrous oxide and damaging particulate matter.
Light vehicles account for around 13% of NSW's total greenhouse gas emissions.
We need to reduce our vehicle emissions
Reducing carbon emissions produced by petrol or diesel fuelled vehicles is crucial to meeting our net zero target. The transport sector is currently the state’s second largest source of CO2 emissions and is predicted to become the state’s leading source of emissions by 2035. In 2019, the transport sector was responsible for 20% of all NSW emissions and 88% of these emissions were from road transport. Almost 65% came from light vehicles.
Switching to electric vehicles (EVs) will not only combat greenhouse gas emissions but also serve to reduce health impacts associated with other toxic air pollutants emitted by motor vehicle exhausts.
By offsetting the CO2 emissions produced by vehicles with internal combustion engines we can help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
