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I'd like to clarify one point that's come up in this discussion.  It has to do with "emissions" and how clean they are.  In the world of combustion (relative to this discussion), the primary bad emissions that most folks are talking about are NOx (Oxides of Nitrogen), CO (Carbon Monoxide) and SO2 (Sulfur Dioxide).  When you're talking about gasoline, the sulfur compounds are primarily removed by way of further refinement at the refinery.  The NOx emissions are reduced at the point of combustion by the EGR system and post-combustion by the Catalytic Converter in the exhaust piping.  The CO is more controlled by the combustion controls on the whole and we've come a long way since the old days.


None of those emissions mentioned have much of anything to do with the actual efficiency of the machine and, therefore, the relative CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) that is produced from a single source (i.e., one car, one powerplant, etc.).  The only way to make a significant dent in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere that's produced by mankind is to reduce the total amount of fossil fuels burned.  Period.


My impression is that there's not enough room left in the efficiency to be gained in gasoline-burning engines to be utilized such that there would be a significant downturn in the overall rate of CO2 addition to the atmosphere.  Since the overwhelming bulk of the responsibility for the release of that CO2 lies squarely on the shoulders of the consumer (you and me), I don't much see the point of blaming the corporations.


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