In the past, nobody really took climate change seriously—it seemed largely like a myth, like Atlantis, December 12, 2012, and Big Foot.

Fast forward to now, climate change is real. It is a reality as the whole world now experiences unprecedented and completely unpredictable weather.

Scorching hot weathers that bring on wildfire, the tsunami in Samoa, mudslides, intense storms and hurricanes that have flooded several countries to the brink of calamity…as Al Gore would have probably said, this is the inconvenient truth that many people refused to acknowledge for a long time.

Scientists believed that global warming is caused by the increase in greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. At the top of the list are the millions of cars that people all over the world use every day.

But a few months ago, President Barack Obama, whose campaign included clean next-generation vehicles and “green collar” jobs, signed into law the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) which is more popularly known as “Cash for Clunkers”.

US residents were given economic incentives of up to $3,500 or $4,500 to purchase a new, more fuel efficient vehicle when trading in a less fuel efficient vehicle.

Although it was a move to help boost the economy through increased car sales, it also meant putting cleaner and more fuel-efficient cars on the road.

The clunkers program, which many have criticized since it came to an end, may have been an imperfect solution. The recession is too big and global warming is too…global. But at least it was a move towards the right direction.

The real and inconvenient truth is, sometimes, you have to take three steps back to go one step forward and make the big leap towards a healthy auto industry and cleaner and more fuel-efficient cars on the road.

Better cars, better environment, better car industry and yes, maybe that would even equate to less car accidents as newer and better cars are more efficient.