| robably heard about the greatest environmental | | | | Vehicles and their widespread use are the leading |
| threat of our time: the global warming. Maybe you | | | | producer of greenhouse gas emissions and other |
| think that your personal attitude and household | | | | air pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen |
| consumption don't have such a big effect on our | | | | oxides and hydrocarbons. So your car also |
| beautiful blue planet. You're right. But more people | | | | produces a lot of greenhouse gases. There are |
| would change this situation. Now you think that | | | | several ways you can limit this. For example, you |
| you've heard it for thousands of times, and you | | | | can use public transport or walk more often; you |
| know that other people think the same way and | | | | can choose a fuel-efficient model when buying a |
| won't do anything to protect our planet. It's not | | | | car; or you can drive more fuel-efficiently. But |
| your business, there are the green peace activists | | | | there is another great solution: carpooling. |
| to solve this problem. But what makes you think | | | | Do you have more cars in your family? All |
| that others don't try to change? Nowadays more | | | | members of the family leave from home at a |
| and more articles and films deal with this topic. So, | | | | different time? Usually you go to work alone by |
| let's imagine that you are interested in the global | | | | car? Then, you are a main enemy of your |
| warming problem, and you tend to take some | | | | environment. If you can travel with your family, |
| steps. | | | | try to use one car. It may takes more time, but |
| A thick layer of atmosphere, which grows thinner | | | | means less consumption of oil and you can also |
| further out into space, surrounds the Earth. The | | | | save money. If you don't have a family, or you |
| atmosphere consists mainly of Nitrogen. 21% of | | | | really can't travel together with somebody, try to |
| the atmosphere is Oxygen while just around 1% | | | | use carpool services. There are several sites |
| of the atmosphere consists of other gases like | | | | helping you to find other people interested in |
| Carbon Dioxide. When sunlight strikes the Earth, | | | | carpooling. It doesn't matter where you live, |
| some of it escapes back into the atmosphere, | | | | carpooling has become widespread all over the |
| but the presence of 'greenhouse gases' like | | | | world. Leave your car home and share a ride with |
| carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, prevents | | | | somebody who travels to the same destination. |
| all the radiation from escaping out into space. | | | | Just try to avoid empty seats in your car, carpool |
| These gases trap the sun's radiation, heat and | | | | whenever possible, and you already did a lot. |
| energy, and therefore, the Earth's temperature | | | | Car exhaust fumes extremely contribute to global |
| remains warm. So, more and more of the Earth's | | | | warming. The United States, as Al Gore writes, is |
| radiation gets trapped by the atmosphere and the | | | | responsible for some 30 percent of greenhouse |
| Earth gradually gets warmer and warmer. It is | | | | gas pollution, more "than South America, Africa, |
| believed that over the past century the Earth has | | | | the Middle East, Australia, Japan, and Asia -- all put |
| grown warmer by around 1 degree F. This is | | | | together." Embarrassingly. You can watch his new |
| called global warming, which occurs due to the | | | | film, An Inconvenient Truth, which might have little |
| greenhouse effect. | | | | effect on you if you are not ready yet. |