Pollution Impacts of Ford Motor Company - Case Study Example

Car Pollution Impacts: A Report to Ford Motor Company Air pollution has been a serious environmental issue challenging the United States, one of the major industrial powers in the world. Studies reveal that air pollution is compounded by the harmful emissions from cars as a result of the combustion of fuels. Car pollution significantly contributes to health problems as well as environment issues like global warming and climate change as car emissions contain greenhouse gases like CO2. Development of fuel-efficient cars, promotion of cleaner fuels, and use of electric/hybrid cars are some potential ways to fight car pollution. Introduction i. Background Global warming has been a major concern for the international community for the last few decades, because this dreadful environmental issue endangers human health, jeopardizes national security, and raises potential challenges to other basic human needs. The major impacts of global warming such as rising atmospheric temperature and sea level and severe floods, and droughts are increasingly common today. Car pollution is a major cause of global warming because internal combustion engine in cars releases greenhouse gases like CO2 as a result of the combustion of the fuel. Studies, as specified in the Union of Concerned Scientists website, found that cars and trucks collectively represent roughly one-fifth of all US emissions, emitting approximately 24 pounds of CO2 and other greenhouse gases for every gallon of gas. Nearly 5 pounds per gallon releases during the extraction, production, and delivery of the fuel whereas the remaining 19 pounds of heat-trapping emissions come right out of the vehicle’s tailpipe (Union of Concerned Scientists). Although cars are much greener today than they were 30 years ago, cars run many more miles in modern days than before. Despite the growing contribution of cars to air pollution and global warming, the demand for automobiles is still increasing as it provides people with great level of convenience. ii. Problem The seriousness of car pollution becomes clearer when it comes to know that US and China alone account for nearly half of the world’s total CO2 emissions. In addition to the pollution of air, water, and land, car pollution plays a notable role in the depletion of the ozone layer. In short, the issue of car pollution has far reaching socio-economic impacts, and this issue would pose serious threats to the US efforts for enhancing environmental sustainability. iii. Purpose The major purpose of this paper is to identify the real impacts of car pollution on the environment, human health, and US economy as a whole. This paper also aims to keep the Ford’s top management well informed of the long term consequences of car pollution and thereby convince the company about the necessity of taking immediate measures to address this serious health/environmental problem. Another goal of this paper is to find out some solutions to the issue of car pollution. iv. Scope This formal analytical report is of great scope in the current US auto industry, because today automakers are striving to cut down their CO2 emissions. This report would be really beneficial for the Ford management to obtain some potential ideas that may help the company to reduce toxic emissions and achieve a greener supply chain. Car Pollution Today majority of the US people own a car and they drive many more miles a day than they did three decades ago. Since the amount of greenhouse gases emitted is directly linked to the gallons of gas burnt in combustion engines, the number of miles a car is driven a day can greatly influence the issue of car pollution. In addition to toxic emission during the process of internal combustion, many pollutants like dust spread into the atmosphere when a car is running. Similarly when a car is washed on the pavement or parking lot, all the oils, detergents, and the road grime that wash off the car may be spread into streams, waterways, and eventually the drinking water. According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, “people idling their cars while waiting to pick up their kids from school create local pollution hot spots that can make kids sick from asthma, to bronchitis and pneumonia” (as cited in Car pollution facts). The following parts give a comprehensive view of the US car pollution. i. Statistical facts Idling cars in traffic consume more than 8 million gallons of gasoline per day and therefore huge volume of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere during the peak traffic hours. The growing number of cars in the road means that there will be thick traffic and hence the idling time is likely to increase. As stated in the online source Car Pollution Facts (n.d.), if a car has the weight of 3500 lb and the driver has 150 lb, then nearly 96% of the energy (gas or fuel) is used to move the car only. In case of a 7000 lb SUV with a 150 lb driver, roughly 98% of the gas is used to move the vehicle only. This data clearly indicate the fact that use of cars leads to huge energy wastage. Studies found that newer diesel cars cause air pollution up to 25 times the EU legal limits. The current car pollution rates identified are not very accurate because the existing lab methods are not effective to estimate air pollution accurately, and hence their reliability is questioned. The International Council on Clean Transportation asserts that on an average CO2 emissions from new cars are actually 25% higher than what their manufacturers claim. According to a National Geographic study, over half the air pollution in the United States could be attributed to automobiles (Car pollution facts). To be more specific, around 1 million tons of CO2 is released by cars and trucks alone in US a day. To sum up, car pollution is growing to be a crucial threat to the US efforts to achieve a green environment. ii. Costs of car pollution Car pollution imposes a huge financial burden on the US government and citizens. Today the US government allots billions of dollars in its annual budget for fighting terrible environmental issues such as global warming and climate change. As Bastasch (2013) reports, the Federal government’s global warming spending is estimated to cost $21.4 billion in 2014 whereas the nation’s spending on border security will be nearly $12 billion this year. It indicates that the US government spends nearly twice as much fighting global warming than on its customs and border enforcement. This massive spending by the government will be of no use unless the auto industry takes some immediate measures to reduce emissions from cars. When the auto transportation largely contributes to air pollution issues in the country, the government is forced to spend a huge amount of taxpayers’ money on intervention efforts. In other words, car pollution causes the federal government to spend a marked percent of its revenues on unproductive initiatives, and this situation in turn would adversely affect the country’s GDP growth. Therefore, the issue of car pollution can have far reaching negative impacts on the US economy. In addition, car pollution notably adds to US health care costs. Referring to a 2013 study (as cited in Journalist’s Resource. 2014), an estimated 200,000 early deaths occur in the US every year due to air pollution, to which car emissions is a major contributing cause. According to the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health, kids living in highly car polluted areas are likely to be obese. The Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives shows that mothers living in inner city areas have smaller babies due to high levels of car pollution. It also says that increased car pollution may lead to a rise in hyperactivity (ADHD) in kids (Car pollution facts). As a result, the government is forced to spend huge amounts in public health intervention and prevention efforts. This situation also imposes financial burden on insurance companies because they are forced to make additional provisions for diseases caused by air pollution. Finally, the health maintenance costs of individuals also increase at a n alarming rate. iii. Solutions The major solutions to fight the issue of car pollution include the development of fuel-efficient cars, promotion of cleaner fuels, and use of hybrid automobiles. It is advisable for the Ford management to invest more in R&D to design and develop more fuel-efficient cars which use less fuel to travel the same distance as compared to ordinary cars. When a car burns less fuel, it generates fewer greenhouse gases and thus contributes less to air pollution. Since car pollution accounts for nearly half the US’ air pollution, increased focus on fuel-efficient vehicles may assist the auto industry to strongly support the governmental efforts to fight global warming and climate change. Similarly, promotion of cleaner fuels can be a good policy for the Ford to show its commitment to minimizing car pollution. Researchers indicate that cleaner fuels cause fewer greenhouse gas emissions when they are burnt. Some cleaner fuels like those made from cellulosic biofuels are capable of reducing toxic emissions by approximately 80 percent compared to gasoline. In addition, application of cleaner fuel extraction techniques is good to make sure that dirty fuels like oil do not get dirtier. Although these policies may cause the organization to incur some additional costs, they can aid the Ford to contribute significantly to its sustainable development in the long term. Finally, Ford may pay increased attention to its hybrid electric cars segment. A hybrid electric vehicle combines an internal combustion engine and electric motors. As authors like Faiz, Weaver, and Walsh (1996) point out, hybrid electric vehicles were designed to have very low emissions. The authors explain that “the motor in a hybrid electric vehicle would be designed to give the best emissions and fuel economy at one or two specific operating points and would then always operate at these points” (Faiz et al. p.212). Today hybrid vehicle emissions are almost getting close to the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Conclusion i. Summary of findings From the discussion session above, it is clear that the issue of car pollution has a range of worse health and economic outcomes. The massive level of car pollution in US is turning out to be a serious challenge to the country’s efforts to fight dreadful environmental issues like global warming and climate change. Despite the Federal government’s increased emphasis on global warming spending, the auto industry continues to release millions of greenhouse gases a day. As a result of the horrible health outcomes of car pollution; the government, insurance companies, and individuals are forced to spend additional money on health care. ii. Interpretation of findings The discussion makes it clear that the government efforts alone would not assist the US to fight global warming and climate change successfully and achieve a greener environment. A shared effort between the government, the industrial sectors, and the general public is inevitable to accomplish the change proposed. The rising healthcare costs have been an ever challenging issue for the United States despite a number of policy measures taken including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The country’s healthcare spending would continue to increase unless it takes some immediate measures to address issues like car pollution that lead to a range of dreadful health effects. It is identified that over 90 percent of the current car models do not abide by the emission standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The absence of efficient mechanisms to detect the violation of emission standards adds to the growing car pollution issues in the United States. Auto manufacturers are not interested to promote cleaner fuel extraction technologies as they do not want to risk their profitability. The growing air pollution issues in the country may persuade industrial ventures to transplant their business to greener economies, and such a practice would notably impede the US economic growth. iii. Recommendations It is advisable for the US government to develop proper systems to identify the actual level of emissions from cars and to ensure that auto companies strictly comply with the legal emission standards in force. Such a strict government approach would persuade auto manufacturers to invest additionally in R&D to develop greener auto technologies that go in line with the ongoing environment initiatives. Secondly, it is recommendable for the Ford automakers to give specific focus to the design and promotion of hybrid/electric cars. When electric cars use electricity as the only source of energy to work, features of an electric car and a standard car are integrated into a hybrid car. The major advantage of the electric/hybrid cars is that they promise better health for both people and nature as they eliminate/minimize combustion of fuels and thereby the release of greenhouse gases like CO2. In addition, the use of electric/hybrid cars significantly reduces the risk of cancer and respiratory diseases. Although this policy change may force the Ford to make some additional investments in R&D and suffer profit declines initially, it would serve the company better in the long run. References Bastasch, M. (Oct 28, 2013). Global warming gets nearly twice as much taxpayer money as border security. The Daily Caller. Retrieved from http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/28/global-warming-gets-nearly-twice-as-much-taxpayer-money-as-border-security/ Car pollution facts. Retrieved from http://evsroll.com/Car_pollution_facts.html Faiz, A., Weaver, C. S & Walsh, W. M. (1996). Air Pollution from Motor Vehicles: Standards and Technologies for Controlling Emissions. US: World Bank Publications. Journalist’s Resource. (April 12, 2014). The health effects and costs of air pollution: Research roundup. Retrieved from http://journalistsresource.org/studies/environment/pollution-environment/health-effects-costs-air-pollution-research-roundup Union of Concerned Scientists. Cars and global warming. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/clean-vehicles/car-emissions-and-global-warming Read More