India, the second most populated country in the world, crosses the population mark at 1.02 billion people! (Only China has a higher population.) It seems that people are not dissuaded from having large families, even though the cost of living in India is relatively high. To an American, products from India may seem cheap, however the Indian rupee, not the dollar, is the major currency and they don’t go very far in India’s economy today.

Gasoline alone is a little more than 70 times as expensive as gas in the United States. And with the economy of India as it is, the majority of the population can’t afford a can of gas, let alone the car that goes with it. Needless to say, mass transit or “pedal power” has been the way to get around for quite some time.

Imagine, though, if there were a way for a sizeable percentage of the almost one billion people to be able to afford a car. What would that mean for the economy? The average household? Employment rates? The environment? These are some of the many issues dredged up by the introduction of the TATA Nano, an extremely cheap vehicle unveiled in India at the New Delhi Auto Expo.

Later this year, these cars will roll out of the factory ready for consumers in the mainstream Indian population. This four-door, five-seater (if you really squeeze in) hatchback is in the shape of a kidney bean, small in front and wider in back. This helps cut wind shear and allows for cheaper engines. Part of the cost-cutting measures involved questions such as: “Is it necessary to have four brake pads, or can we get by with three?” and “Do we really need [insert car part here]?” It certainly has none of the luxuries Americans seem to require such as a radio, air conditioning, or power windows and steering. However, as one Indian man put it, “it’s faster than a bicycle!” This is the sentiment many Indians may be sharing as they consider the ramifications of adding a vehicle to their household.

But they’re not the only ones considering the cost. Critics of the vehicle are concerned with its impact on the environment. They worry the car could burden already-crowded streets and add enormous amounts of air and noise pollution in the atmosphere, creating an “environmental nightmare.”

Hopefully, with projected pollution levels more than quadrupling in the next 30 years, Indian officials will consider ways to offset the impact. If India’s population continues to increase exponentially, though, that’s certainly a lot of trees to plant. Still, chairman Ratan Tata insists the Nano will release less pollution than motorcycles, meet safety standards, and pass emission standards. And at 50 miles to the gallon, few are thinking about the environmental impact, and instead see the opportunity to trade two wheels for four. But does it really matter if a car gets 50 miles to the gallon when millions of them eventually are added to the roads of India and beyond?

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The issue about global warming rages around us and blankets our lives with its facts and fiction. It is influenced through propaganda from both sides. Why? Each side has an agenda that seems to be backed up by facts. There is some extremely laughable information available on the internet and there is also plausible information. It is up to us to understand what applies to our daily actions and what we can do about global warming.

It is all around us. It is on the weather stations. It faces us when we decide to purchase a new car or even a cleaning product. The real issues come when trying to learn about global warming. There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet and there is not one group that can agree on all aspects of the global warming debate.

Over the past century, with out a doubt, global temperatures have risen. While the rise in temperature has been only a degree or so, the concern is whether the Earth’s temperatures will continue to rise and what impact that will have on the environment. The controversy about the warming of the earth is a result of conflicting evidence.

The fact that global warming also occurred in the prehistoric era is a scientific point. Some think a large meteor hitting the planet caused an big change in the earth’s temperature. Is that what killed the dinosaurs? Science cannot prove this conclusively yet. The political and industrial lobbies further complicate conversations about global warming. The contention of these groups is that, we currently do not know enough about the effects of global warming to limit industrial emissions.

When will we know the full facts about global warming and will the global warming issue be resolved anytime soon? Unfortunately the answer is no. There will continue to be studies performed and there will always be a measure of doubt clouding the minds of citizens around the world. Perhaps, when enough data comes through, we will be able to make a determination based on scientific fact rather than theory. Until then we can continue to monitor the progress of scientists and try to do our part in conserving the environment.

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