The sky is falling! The earth is heating up! We are doomed!
Are we? Is there nothing we can do about it? Is it worth sacrificing our pleasures and profits and productivity just a wee bit? How does 5 % sound?

I am convinced that nearly ALL drivers drive more than they really NEED to.

I am also convinced that most drivers have at least some measure of care and concern for the health and welfare of our planet.

I am also convinced that most drivers would be willing to commit to reducing their driving by a mere 5 % if it would mean a significant contribution to global warming and climate change we hear so much about these days. And, of course, a welcome by-product would be lower gas prices all around, due to higher supplies.

If everyone committed to reducing their driving by 5 %, the potential savings would look something like this: (Note: These estimated calculations are speculative and are merely for example, and are not all data-supported).

Average miles per year per driver = 15,000
Average MPG = 20
Average total gallons per year per driver = 750
Average cost per gallon = $3.00
Average cost per year per driver = $2250

If each driver cut back by only 5%, or 750 miles, each driver will save 38 gallons each year, or $114 each year, on average.

Multiply this by the 240 million (US) licensed drivers, and the numbers are staggering!

For instance, here's what the BIGGER numbers would look like if everyone did their part:

Estimate 200,000,000 (200 million) active drivers, x 15,000 miles per year, equals 3,000,000,000,000 (3 trillion) total miles per year, x 5% consistent reduction in miles driven, equals 150,000,000,000 (150 billion) total miles LESS each year, x 20 MPG, equals 7,500,000,000 (less gallons used), x $3.00 per gallon, equals $22,500,000,000 ($22.5 billion) less for the Big Oil industry (all segments) per year.

Think the prices would come down? I would say it’s a no-brainer.

Think it might help the global warming and climate change issue?

Seven billion, five-hundred million gallons of gasoline burned by the cars, trucks and other internal combustion engines all around the globe contributes 45 billion pounds of carbon to pollute our atmosphere.

That might not sound like a lot when we take a look at the total global carbon pollution, which is a staggering 5 ½ billion TONS…each year…but it certainly can’t hurt to start chipping away at it now instead of perpetuating more of the same!

So, now all we have to do is convince more folks to just cut back by 5%!
Because it is all about the huge volume of users, and if enough users pay attention, we CAN make a difference!

Ref: http://www.infinitepower.org/calc_carbon.htm

Author's Bio: 

Middle aged male, married, retired. Enjoy writing articles, poetry, music, and the like.