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Fact Sheet 13
ENERGY AND TRANSPORT
You have grown up in a world where transport is dominated by vehicles
using petrol or other forms of crude oil such as diesel and aircraft fuel.
Oil is one of the ‘fossil fuels’ formed millions of years ago by the burial
and decay of dead plants and animals.
Can you imagine a world without oil? What if this happens in your lifetime?
What are some solutions for this problem? In the table below, you will
find three of the main reasons for a decrease in the use of oil and some
possible solutions for each of these causes.
| Reasons for the decreased consumption of oil |
Possible solutions |
| Crude oil is a non-renewable resource. It is estimated
that oil is being used at such a rate that all known reserves may
be used up in the not-too-distant future. We need to start thinking
about alternative fuels for transport. |
We could:
- Develop motors that use less fuel.
- Conserve supplies of oil by driving more carefully and maintaining
cars well.
- Use renewable forms of fuel.
|
| Burning petroleum in engines causes air pollution. A
number of invisible gases are released into the air through exhaust
fumes. These can cause damage to the environment and serious health
problems for many people. We need to use less petrol for the sake
of our health and the earth. |
We could:
- Use less fuel by using different forms of transport such as
bicycles.
- Use cleaner fuel such as LPG.
- Develop new clean forms of transport.
|
| As more and more vehicles are used on our roads, people
begin to demand more and wider roads. Motor transport uses lots of
useful space, and can result in traffic jams and accidents, frustration
and stress. We need fewer cars on the road in order to improve our
lifestyle. |
We could:
- Encourage people to use public transport or to carpool to work.
- Have lanes devoted only to buses.
- Make it harder for people to take cars into city centres.
- Redesign our cities so that people have easier access to places
they wish to go.
- Encourage people to work from home, or have different start/finish
times for workers.
|
Available as:
 PDF
– Fact Sheet 13
|
