Consider CO2 emissions from a gasoline powered vehicle. Gasoline is acomplex mixture of hydrocarbons but for the purposes of this calculation assume an average molecular formula of C7H16. The density of gasoline is 6.07 pounds per gallon. Assume that all carbon in the fuel is converted to CO2 during combustion.
a. My old Buick gets 10 miles per gallon (mpg) and I'll drive it another 40,000 miles before it falls apart and is junked. How much carbon will I emit driving my Buick?
b. If the car weighs 4,000 pounds and is driven 10,000 miles per year, what is the ratio of the weight of carbon emitted per year to the weight of the car?
c. If the federal government taxes carbon emissions at $20 per ton of carbon, what will be the tax on a gallon of gasoline?
d. If I sell my Buick and buy a new car that gets 40 mpg, how much would I reduce my carbon emissions over those 40,000 miles?