Transport 4: Suppose your parents want to buy a new car. They ask your opinion.
A big powerful car with all the trimmings will cost your parents a load of money. It, and millions of others like it, will also cost the planet because of all the extra pollution it will create over its lifetime. The same applies to the gas-guzzling but trendy 'go anywhere' SUVs people like to own. Because they can travel over rough or muddy ground as well, they can do a lot of damage to prairie and desert which may take many years to heal.

Sadly, not many people seem concerned about the energy-hungry polluting monsters they like to buy. The ideal is to have no car (= no pollution) and live in an area which is close to school, shops and work so the whole family can cycle or walk. That way, you avoid all the misery of daily commuting and traffic jams. But how many people can do this? It's difficult when people have to switch jobs, or both parents work in different places.

So the next best thing if a car is really needed is to go for a small economy model which uses little gasoline. It will also cost less money, both to buy and to run. Some new types of car (called 'hybrids') use a combination of engine, electric generator and battery to make them really fuel-efficient. Even better are electric cars which are now becoming widely available as are places where you can recharge them. Soon, cars powered by fuel cells should be on sale. Fuel cells use hydrogen to make electricity to drive the car. They don't pollute because their exhaust is pure water!

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