Automobiles have a huge impact on public health, on the environment, and on our pocketbooks. Air pollution from cars and trucks causes cancer and premature deaths in addition to aggravating chronic respiratory illnesses such as asthma. Smog, haze, and acid rain further combine to reduce crop and forest productivity and pollute our waterways.
Automobiles are a major source of carbon dioxide, the primary global-warming gas.
US cars and trucks emit more carbon dioxide annually than most other countries emit from all sources combined. This global-warming pollution has multiple effects, not only extending the range of tropical pests and diseases but increasing the likelihood of fires and severe weather events such as storms, floods, and droughts. Along with polluting the air we breathe, motor vehicles also degrade water quality. Consumption of huge quantities of gasoline leads to offshore oil spills, expansion of offshore oil drilling, toxic leaks from underground storage tanks, fallout from acid rain, and runoff from roads and highways. All these environmental impacts have economic repercussions.