SAKER assignment

SAKER ASSIGNMENT


What is Global Warming?

Global warming is a worldwide problem. People everywhere in the world are affected by it. Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of earth’s near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming).

Global warming is caused by greenhouse gases that trap heat and light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere which in turn increases the earth’s temperature (http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/global_warming.htm).

Impact on Australasia

Global warming is affecting Australasia in a major way. It has been observed by experts that global warming is causing the polar ice caps to melt which means that sea levels are rising. In the pacific islands, there are many low lying islands and people living on these islands are worried that that their small islands are going to be swallowed up by the rising sea levels in the near future. Many of these islanders are preparing to leave their low lying islands when the sea levels are too high for them to live safely on the islands.

Experts believe that the climate change will also cause more extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and storms. This will have a major impact on New Zealand’s farming industry as droughts and floods will obviously affect livestock and this in turn will affect farmer’s incomes and livelihoods.

In Australia, fire fighters are concerned about the effects of climate change on the frequency and intensity of bushfires under even a "low global warming" scenario (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_global_warming_on_Australia).

Limitations of the Internal Combustion Engine

The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel, (generally fossil fuel) occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine).

The main limitations on fuels are that it must be easily transportable through the fuel system to the combustion chamber, and that the fuel releases sufficient energy in the form of heat upon combustion to make practical use of the engine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine). Because internal combustion engines burn fossil fuel, it obviously produces pollution which is one of it’s other limitations.

Alternative Fuels

Recently, there have been debates in regards to what other alternative fuel sources would be more efficient and environmentally friendly than fossil fuels. Hydrogen is one of the most popular alternative fuels. It is virtually pollutant free as no greenhouse gases are emitted because there is no carbon in the fuel.

SAKER

Another alternative is the electric battery vehicle which is also virtually pollutant free as it is powered by a battery pack rather than burning fuel. One of the major advantages of this type of vehicle is that most of the batteries are recyclable which means that old batteries become less of a disposal problem.

Another advantage of battery-powered engines is the lower cost of fuel. With fuel costs rising, a lot of people have been considering purchasing this type of vehicle. Not only will they be helping the environment by driving a non-pollutant car but they will also be saving money on the cost of fuel.

The electric battery vehicle, however does not come without it’s drawbacks. One of the major disadvantage of battery-powered vehicles over a gas-powered vehicle is the time it takes to recharge the battery. A fully charged electric vehicle can travel a lot further than an internal combustion vehicle on a full tank of gas, however it still needs to be recharged when the battery has run flat. This means that one would not be able to use their electric vehicle for several hours compared to an internal combustion vehicle which can be filled up with gas and be useable straight away.

The advancement in technology will hopefully decrease the time it takes for electric vehicle batteries to charge so will be much better in the long run as opposed to the internal combustion engine.

Conclusion

The internal combustion vehicle has been around for centuries and is currently the most used type of vehicle in the world, however the pollution that it emits has contributed a lot to global warming which has lead people to consider sustainable, more environmentally friendly alternatives.

One of the more advanced types of vehicles on the market is the electric battery vehicle which does not release any pollutant gases into the environment. This will definitely help reduce the effects of global warming however with the high price tag it may be a while before the electric car becomes the norm.

REFERENCES

http://www.altfuels.org/backgrnd/altftype/hydrogen.html

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/vehicles/electric-car-battery3.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/global_warming.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_global_warming_on_Australia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine