Читать книгу Climate Change For Dummies - Elizabeth May - Страница 58

Fossil fuels (which we discuss in greater detail in Chapter 4) contain nitrogen. When cars burn gasoline, they give off the nitrogen-based chemicals nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) — together known as NO_x gases. These NO_x gases create acid rain and smog in cities.

In response to these environmental problems, governments in North America forced car companies to put catalytic converters in all their cars. Catalytic converters convert smog-causing chemicals into other chemicals that aren’t as damaging to our lungs and don’t cause acid rain.

Unfortunately, these catalytic converters turn NO_x gases, which don’t have an effect on climate change, into nitrous oxide (N₂O), which does! (One more reason, if you need it, why everyone should drive less.)