Andrew Simms, a policy director and head of the Climate Change Program for the New Economics Foundation in England, presents his argument about the impact SUV’s have on our roadways, and the air we breathe. “Would You Buy a Car That Looked like This? “. The title alone gives great insight on what the article is going to be about, (vehicles). “They clog the streets and litter the pages of weekend colour *supplements. Sport utility vehicles or SUV’s have become badges of middle class aspiration” (Simms 542). Simms opening statement not only gives his opinion on how SUV’s are the new trend, but he also paints a picture of what we see every day driving down our roadways. Simms also compares the tobacco industry’s gap between image and reality to that of SUV’s; stating that the cause and consequences of climate change resemble smoking and cancer. Simms comparison between SUV’s and cigarettes shows how dangerous he believes SUV’s are. Simms believes that the SUV’s we’ve grown to love are dangerous and polluting. Simms describes just how damaging he believes SUV’s to be with a quote, set to become, “one of the world’s most common causes of death and disability-ahead of TB, HIV, and war” (qtd. in Simms 542). This is a very strong statement; so strong that it causes the reader to question the source. It also promotes an emotional appeal to the reader. Death, war, and HIV are very serious issues; comparing them to SUV’s causes a need for attention. Next Simms addresses how the Global warming conference in two weeks causes urgency for some new thinking on SUV’s. This statement shows Simms concerns about Global warming and the effects from SUV’s. It also shows his need to inform. Then Simms introduces his solution, “So shouldn’t SUV’s now ... ... middle of paper ... ...countries Simms assumes readers will feel that it’s time for America to acknowledge the SUV Problem too; and also take action. Finally Simms concludes his argument with his labeling solution. Simms proposes setting a threshold guideline; which could be set to trigger the labeling when the efficiency drops below a certain threshold. “Like those for cigarettes, the warnings could cover 30-50 percent of the vehicles surface area” (Simms 544). Simms also states that this method won’t stop SUV’s from being driven, but would force them to except the consequences of their actions, and help the education drive on global warming and traffic safety .In other words it would help the industry move out of denial. Simms statement shows that he has a realistic view on his solution. Also his conclusion reinforced his idea, promoted thought and gave readers a visual.
Flink’s Three stages of American automobile consciousness fully express the progress of the whole automobile industry. From the first model T to the automatic production, it gives me an intuitive feeling of the automobile history from a big picture. On the other hand, Kline and Pinch focus more on a certain group of people--farmers or people who live in the rural area, they use it as an entry point to talk about automobile, alone with the role and duty transition between male and
In Mr. John Braggs writing, he proposes that the SUV is attacked by the same individuals whom support former Vice President, Al Gore’s call to abolish the production of internal combustion engines. Considering John Bragg is a policy analyst for the Center for the Moral Defense of Capitalism, it is safe to acknowledge that he advocates the production of SUVs not because it is conducive to maintaining the environment but because the SUV is the symbol of Americanism. Additionally, according to “Why Environmentalists Attack the SUV,” the production of SUVs has declined because of federal fuel efficiency mandates, which were emplaced in 1975.
Increasing environmental awareness, coupled with a responsible American government and improved technology, have all contributed to the comeback of low-and zero-emissions vehicles in the US. It remains to be seen whether the automakers and oil companies will once again work to halt this progress, or embrace it as the technology of a more responsible future.
McKibben symbolizes one of the causes of climate change in his essay as being the Sports Utility Vehicle. He posits that as time progresses our nations gas efficiency has actually been going down due to the change to these vehicles. His appeal, the fact that swapping to one of these gas-guzzling mammoths for a year is the equivalent of leaving your fridge open and running for six straight years. The legitimacy for the need of these cars he claims is invalid, the average American only needs to drive across streets, generally well maintained ones, not go off-road to reach their
Since the birth of automobiles in 1866, the majority of mankind has relied heavily on this mode of transportation, especially in the United States. According to the California DMV there are 24,290,288 licensed drivers in California (DMV, 2013), which is approximately 63.3% of the population. Ever since the invention of automobiles, gas emission into the atmosphere has become one of the biggest issues for mankind. In Garret Hardin’s essay, The Tragedy of the Commons, Hardin defines a common as a resource that is accessible for everyone in society. Clean air became a modern commons in this sense. The quality of air is especially bad in California where there are 31,388,901 registered vehicles for a population of 37,826,160. In 2012, the quality of air hit a record low in California’s Central Valley. If we continue to dismiss the issue of air pollution, we will gravely endanger our health as current air pollution related health effects already include lung diseases and cancer. The solutions to the smog pollution problem are to develop cleaner emission engines, as part of a technical solution, as well as raise awareness among the residents of the Central Valley.
“Americans’ Love Affair with Cars, Trucks and SUVS Continues.” USA Today. USA Today, 30 August 2003. Web. 5 January 2012.
He uses pathos to appeal to emotion by stating that we should turn to melodrama as opposed to economics to solve the answer for the declining industry; this claim reveals the nostalgic approach O'Rourke will be using for the article and sets the stage for the purpose of his essay by luring his audience in to the body of the essay and main point. To start off, financial gurus and politicians scrutinize cars as a business to be analyzed for profit, instead of the symbolic and sentimental value. In his essay, O'Rourke states that "Politicians, journalists financial analysts and other purveyors of banality have been looking at cars as if a convertible were a business" (O'Rourke 1). By stating this, the author builds the base of his opponent's perspective and clearly defines the problem at hand with the two different kinds of controversial thinking. In this pathos approach, O'Rourke inappropriately uses binary thinking to form only two sides of the essay: those who view cars as nothing more than a financial business and those who hold the value of cars in high regard on a sentimental value. Although he uses binary thinking, it proves to be effective in painting a clear picture for the readers to side with
In Christopher Wells’ book Car Country: An Environmental History he starts by speaking about his experience over the years with automobiles. He describes how happy he was to own his first automobile. Mr. Wells goes into detail about the inconveniences of driving in towns where everything is fairly accessible, and the necessity of an automobile in major cities. Although Mr. Wells enjoyed his first car, his local surrounding helped shape the attitude he has towards motor vehicles to this day. Mr. Wells also argued that car dependence in America is connected with the landscape. Wells rejects the notion that America ‘s automobile landscape emerged as a byproduct of consumer’s desires for motor vehicles or as the result of conspiracies to eliminate
In the July 1997 issue of Commentary, James Q. Wilson challenges the consensus among academia’s finest regarding the automobile in his bold article, Cars and Their Enemies. Directed towards the general public, his article discredits many of the supposed negatives of the automobile raised by experts, proves that the personal car is thriving and will continue to thrive because it meets individual preference over other means of transportation, as well as presents solutions to the social costs of cars. Wilson emphasizes that no matter what is said and done in eliminating the social costs of the automobile, experts are not going to stop campaigning against it.
Automobiles play a major role in today's society. Almost every American owns at least one motorized transportation vehicle. Some say they make our lives better by reaching places faster than before. Others say they are a harmful to the environment. Have they made our society better or worse? They may be fast, but do we as humans want our environment to suffer because of time. Face it, cars pollute. And they release destructive chemicals into the air. Air pollution can threaten the health of many subjects in the environment including human beings.
The future American commuter will undoubtedly have to transition from the use of fossil fuels to new alternatives due to the diminishing availability of the nation’s oil resources. How will America respond to this upcoming issue? It is difficult to predict which alternative fuel source America will ultimately choose, but with the premier of Nissan’s electric powered Leaf and other companies; such as Tesla Motors and Chevy, with their electric cars ready for market, the electric car may be winning the race to become the new standard for the gasoline alternative. Electric cars resolve long standing environmental issues, but it will need to maneuver around many roadblocks to become a marketable consideration for the general public. The cost of electric cars, currently on the market, makes them an impractical purchase for the average consumer. If cost is not the growing concern in today’s economy which prevents the consumer from considering this option; they may deny the technological advance due to battery storage capabilities and the inadequate infrastructure in place to refuel and provide for them.
The majority of people, especially in America, cannot go about their daily lives without a car. Automobiles have instilled themselves in peoples’ lives and shown their usefulness since their debut in 1769. Since then, humans have redesigned and refined the automobile thousands of times, each time making the vehicle more efficient and economical than before. Now as the world approaches an ethical decision to dwarf all others, many people look toward automotives for yet another change. The emergence of the hypercar due to ecological turmoil exemplifies the change the world has demanded. Hypercars alter everything people know about automotives, modern ecology, and fuel efficiency. Not only do hypercars offer a solution to many ecological problems humans are faced with now, they also represent the only logical area for the automotive industry, and by some stretch American society, to expand.
With a gasoline-fueled vehicle, buying gas to operate your car is a never-ending process. With the high price change of gasoline and oil, operating a gasoline-fueled vehicle tends to be very costly. While there are some types of small gasoline vehicles that get much better gas mileage than larger vehicles, even the most powerful gasoline cars will normally desire a contribution every month. According to some experts the only way a mainstream market for green vehicles wills materlize is with a pronounced and prolonged rise in fuel prices. (Buss, 4)
Imagine that you’re driving on an open highway in the middle of summer. All you see in front of you is asphalt for miles and miles. The windows are down and your favorite song comes on the radio. You’re behind the wheel of a Tesla Model S, the newest electric car that can go from zero to sixty miles per hour in 2.4 seconds. This will soon be the future of all motor vehicles. Electric cars are beginning to have colossal impacts on our society because of their energy efficiency, performance benefits, and the fact that they are less harmful to the environment. In the near future, electric cars will dominate the road and eventually the planet’s overall need for oil will decrease immensely.
Today, people use their own personal vehicles to travel more than ever before. Personal transportation is no longer considered a luxury; it is now considered a necessity. The number of cars in the United States has been growing steadily since the 1970s. The number of miles traveled by cars has risen nearly 150 percent, yet the United States population has only grown roughly 40 percent during that time (hybridcars.com, Driving Trends). Although it may seem like we are advancing into the future, in reality, we are moving backwards from the effects these vehicles have on our bodies and the environment. The pollution produced by these vehicles has brought us to the day where we must find other modes of transportation that cause less harm to the world in which we live. Advances in technology have developed hybrid vehicles to try and slow down the amount of pollution. Driving a hybrid vehicle, instead of a conventional gas powered vehicle, can reduce the amount of pollution that affects our lives and the environment around us.