F1 vs. Climate Change

(Jenson Button at Silverstone in the Honda Earth Car)

You may recall the incident in Belgium last season where a few Greenpeace activists protesting at the end of the Belgian Grand Prix. Or maybe you don't, but either way there's no doubting the fact that Formula One is not a very environmentally conscious sport. What can be done?

There is good news: If you're worried about how F1 is destroying the world, don't. Relatively Formula 1 has done very little to contribute to global warming in the long term, and the past is the past, there's nothing to be done about that now. Additionally, oil is eventually going to run out, so what can we do to save the greatest sport in the world?

Luckily, we have a variety of options, electricity isn't one because making F1 electric is literally just Formula E. Luckily we have even easier options. Ethanol is already in use by F1's most prominent oil and gasoline supplier. It uses corn, which we already produce in huge mass. Or algae, which is extremely efficient compared to gasoline. In fact, the only reasons teams don't use these more efficient fuels is because no one is willing to supply it yet and the fact that it's against regulations.

Surprisingly though, those aren't the best options we have availiable at all, no, it's hydrogen. Hydrogen is light, abundant, and universal. It provides a much cleaner alternative with little in the way of difficulty. Yes, it is explosive, but no more than gasoline. The process involves extracting the hydrogen from water and basically using it as gasoline is used, an explosive substance that aids combustion.

Thanks for reading!