Isn't every pollutant in auto exhaust other than CO2 already regulated?

Question

Why do people keep asking "even if AGW is wrong, wouldn't it be good to clean the air?"

The AGW issue goes only to CO2.

Well OK it goes to methane too but no sane person is seriously considering banning or raising taxes on beef.

Answer 1

The effort to reduce car emissions was in the 80s with the introduction of unleaded fuel and catalytic converters which significantly reduced lead and carbon monoxide, apart from these the other exhaust gases are pretty much the same as ever. except that since the 80s the number of cars has risen to almost 800,000,000 and with China about vastly increase its number of cars this total is set to rise steeply over the next 20 years. And on Methane, a number of scientists are working on sheep and possibly cows that produce a lot less methane.

Answer 2

What a truly wonderful observation.  No joke.

CO2 is such an incredibility stupid thing to worry about.  

But since global warming is about control and money, they had to choose something uncontrolled.

All the genuinely dangerous things like SO2 for example, were stopped back in the 70's when we were all going to freeze to death from global cooling.

What a great observation.  Thank you, and here is a star, too.

Answer 3

Of course, this depends on where you are...

In the US, the Supreme Court has just ruled that the CAA covers CO2 hence CO2 is also regulated (or should be, that's the issue that the White House and the EPA won't enforce the regulations).

This means that the only other unregulated emission from auto exhaust is water but that isn't a pollutant.

I'm sorry if this isn't a complete answer but I wasn't able to follow what you were really asking so I gave a literal answer to your question.

Answer 4

Yes everything we release into the environment is strictly regulated and these regulations get tougher every few years, which is the way it should be, we should protect the environment and we should be continually improving standards.

Environmentalism wasn't invented 10 years ago - we've always been concerned about it, since ancient times.  I think governments do a good job of balancing the environment with economic development.  Car emissions especially have been cleaned up quite a lot in the last 30 years.

(edit) Smokey cars is a tough one.  They tend to be driven by poor people who can't afford a better one.  Maybe the police could issue fines to people with smokey cars and force them off the road, but that would hurt poor people.

Answer 5

Actually, CO2 isn't even a pollutant!  Not long ago, it was the product of "perfect combustion"--what ideal, non-polluting cars would produce.

"In "perfect" combustion, oxygen in the air would combine with all the hydrogen in the fuel to form water and with all the carbon in the fuel to form carbon dioxide."

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/invntory/overvie...

Answer 6

*sigh* I guess I'm guilty of asking that question.  That's not what I meant though.  When I asked a question like that I actually meant I couldn't understand why people who disagree with global warming refuse to "go green" or call people "tree huggers" or "stupid" or "insane."  I was just curious why people don't want to live in a cleaner environment, not why they aren't trying to stop global warming.  I guess it was more of an environmental question than global warming... I just figured they fit into the same category.  Less exhaust fumes would be less toxic... right?  I don't know, it was just a thought.

*edit*  I totally understand your point of view and I certainly did not intend to upset anyone.  Yesterday this car drove past me and blew smoke from the exhaust pipe everywhere and I coughed for like 5 minutes!  I guess I overreacted? :)  lol  

Where I live has become so overpopulated and gross  :(  I went on vacation and my asthma actually cleared up until I got back..  I guess it's not like that everywhere.  I'm just concerned for my health I suppose.  I don't even know much about global warming or anything... I guess I'm pretty ignorant on the subject... at least I'm trying to learn! :)