Friday, July 31, 2009
News Green Villain of the Week: Unborn But Soon to Be Car-Driving Babies of the 21st Century
Posted by Mark Asch on Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 1:32 PM
For any number of carbon-bigfooting reasons, obvs, but this factoid is particularly sobering: despite the new, encouraging emissions standards enacted by Congress and the Obama administration earlier this year, "by 2020, U.S. transportation emissions will still be 4 percent higher than 2005 levels, because advances in fuel technology and efficiency will get still swamped by the growth in population and vehicle-miles traveled", according to a new report, and interpreted by Brad Plumer at TNR.
To actually cut auto emissions, we'll have to drive better, in more efficient cars, running on more efficient fuels — this is maybe not exactly a scoop, any more than the recommendations for "lowering speed limits, ending subsidies for parking, setting up congestion tolls, bolstering public transit, encouraging urban density, promoting pay-as-you-drive insurance, shifting freight over to rail". Still. Earth is not suited for human life as it is currently lived, and the curve is still bending the wrong way. Have a nice weekend!
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