THE BIGGEST SINGLE STEP

The United States Can Take to Curb Global
Warming and Save Oil is to Raise the Fuel
Economy of Our Cars and Light Trucks.


By making our cars,pickup trucks,and SUVs go farther on a gallon of gas,Americans can
save billions of dollars, curb global warming pollution, and slash our dependence on oil
— making our nation safer and more secure.



In 1975, Congress enacted Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, doubling the fuel economy of new vehicles. By enacting these standards, the US saves approximately 3 million barrels of oil per day,
making it the most successful energy-saving measure ever adopted. However, despite breakthroughs in gas-saving technology, the government has allowed fuel economy standards to stagnate and auto companies have hawked inefficient SUVs and other trucks for nearly 20 years. As a result, the fuel economy of today’s new vehicles has fallen to the lowest level in over two decades. It doesn’t have to be this way. By using innovative and
cost-effective technology to increase our fuel economy,we can protect the environment,create jobs, and make America safer and more secure.

Cars and light trucks account for 40% of U.S. oil consumption and emit 20% of the nation’s carbon dioxide (CO2) pollution, the heat-trapping gas that causes global warming. Because each gallon of gasoline burned pumps 28 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere, the average car emits about 63 tons of CO2 over its lifetime — and the average SUV or pickup emits around 82 tons. In comparison:America’s automobiles produce more global warming pollution than all the vehicles, power plants, and factories in Great Britain combined.

If all of the vehicles in the U.S. averaged 40 miles per gallon (mpg) we would save over 3 million barrels of oil each day; that is more oil than the United States currently imports from the Persian Gulf and could ever extract from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, combined.Getting 40 mpg would cut global warming pollution by 600 million tons a year and save consumers more than $45 billion each year at the gas pump. The U.S. is the
world’s largest global warming polluter — we must take the lead in reducing this pollution.