When did we discover that vehicle exhaust was damaging the ozone?

Escape Artist said:

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the story research board, but I was curious - when did we discover that vehicle exhaust was damaging the ozone?

It is related to story research as I'm trying to figure out when exactly a form of cheap, environmentally-friendly transportation was introduced on my alternate Earth, as it was done so in reaction to discovering the above.

Thanks!

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Well, I can't say vehicle exhaust doesn't hurt the ozone (layer), but the thing usually associated with it is CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), like freon.

Since the 60s, people have been concerned with vehicle exhaust for a variety of reasons. Smog and acid rain originally, and most recently global warming / climate change.

Escape Artist said:

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the story research board, but I was curious - when did we discover that vehicle exhaust was damaging the ozone?

It is related to story research as I'm trying to figure out when exactly a form of cheap, environmentally-friendly transportation was introduced on my alternate Earth, as it was done so in reaction to discovering the above.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

It would think you have several possibilities with cheap transportation:

1) if it really was cheap it would supplant the more expensive modes for that reason
2) exhaust gas results in dangerously high levels of ozone at ground level and I would think that would be clear by the equivalent of 1956 on an alternative earth
3) and if that wasn't enough, if you increase the Co2 in the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, you heat the lower atmosphere and cool the stratosphere (since heat is trapped down lower). A cooler stratosphere apparently causes more Ozone depletion. However this is only clear from modeling and I would guess the earliest models to predict
such things would be from around 1990. But that's purely a guess.

Escape Artist said:

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the story research board, but I was curious - when did we discover that vehicle exhaust was damaging the ozone?

It is related to story research as I'm trying to figure out when exactly a form of cheap, environmentally-friendly transportation was introduced on my alternate Earth, as it was done so in reaction to discovering the above.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Don't worry about the exhaust. Use external combustion engines. The boilers for steam engines produce water and CO2, and when measured from fuel to miles travelled, steam engines are as efficient as internal combustion. Look into the Doble Uniflow steam engine. A large part of the efficiency comes from the boiler firing only when necessary; the burner can turn off when the temperature and pressure are within the acceptable range, but internal combustion engines have to keep firing or go through the restart process, which wastes fuel.

If you want an exact year, then you could select any year since about 1910, because the nitrous oxides and CO were known for a long time. It was more because the people running the companies were obsessive than that internal combustion was superior of cheaper that resulted in internal combustion engines becoming more popular. One of the Stanley brothers (or was it a Doble) died in a racing accident around 1915. You could have him survive and decide to put Henry Ford and his noisemakers out of business. You could have him do that because he hated the stench of half bruned gasoline.

You might want to do some research on Clair Patterson, which name is little-known but his work was of great importance.