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Global Warning - Sep 13, 2004 - Printable Version
- Where is Howard Beale?
by Robin Buckallew
Friends, I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore. Something must be done about the disability that has affected this country, and threatens our very existence. America has gone blind, deaf and mute. Mute? Oh, that can't be. We seem to make so extremely much noise, all the time. You would be even more surprised when I tell you that this is a muteness that seems to be particularly prevalent among politicians, journalists and talking heads. But don't they make the most noise of all? Ah, but the bard said it best ".a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing". So, exactly what has made me mad? This time? Well, a simple enough thing, I suppose. As usual, I was reading an article written by an environmentalist. This time, it was Lester Brown, head of World Watch. Dedicated to saving the environment. Dedicated to preserving what is left of our wild spaces, our commons. But mute, friends, just as mute as the rest. You see, there is one subject no one will touch (not politicians, not journalists, not corporations, not even mainstream environmentalists). But, since I am no one, I will discuss it. I have no elections to win, no papers to sell, no products to peddle, and no organization requiring fat donations from guilty greens. I will say what no one else dares to say. AMERICA, YOU DRIVE TOO MUCH!!!! There, it's out of the bag. Feels good. I think I'll shout it, again and again and again. AMERICA, YOU DRIVE TOO MUCH!!! Wow. I said it, and the world didn't come to an end. Of course, some of my readers probably just turned away, thinking "I don't have to listen to this". Others protest that everyone is saying that. But others will stick with me until the bitter end, and find out what is on my somewhat twisted mind today.
Folks, I read numerous magazines (both political and environmental), follow debates, surf the web, and engage fellow citizens in conversation. I know what is being said. There is concern. On the political side, there is concern about the effect of dependence on foreign oil. This, of course, relates not only to terrorism and war, but to economic issues and domestic problems. On the environmental side, there is concern about the effect of dependence on oil, period. And I read eagerly, avidly, waiting for someone to state the obvious. But it is never there. I see solutions, sure. Hybrid cars. Hydrogen fuel cells. Tighter fuel efficiency standards. Cleaner cars. Safer cars. Cars that get more miles to the gallon. But never fewer cars. Never mass transportation or carpooling. Never walkable cities. Why? Because it is not politically expedient to ask the electorate to "sacrifice". But, if we can solve the problem through technology, why should we sacrifice? Why should we drive fewer miles, if we can get more miles to the gallon?
Oh, I've heard all the arguments. The car is wonderful. It gives us freedom. We are in control. We can go where we want, when we want. The open road. And, of course, it is our constitutional and God-given right to drive our own car. I'll take the last argument first - I have only one thing to say about that. Just read the constitution. And the Bible. Oh, for those of you who point out that you have a constitutional right to Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness (which apparently covers having your own car), I will say one other thing also - you should also read the Declaration of Independence. Of course, I would imagine most Americans know that, and would never make that argument. As for the freedom of the open road, I would wager that you, like most folks, spend more hours sitting in a motionless car in a traffic jam somewhere than experiencing the open road. If you do happen to be lucky enough to get out of the city to an open road that is not jammed, odds are you will find it full of potholes, or else having the smoothness of corrugated tin. And if you think you are in control of your own destiny just because your hands are on the wheel, take a look at the folks in the cars around you. How many are on their cell phone? How many are putting on lipstick? How many are eating a sandwich while they drive? Or drinking a beer? Control is an illusion. So, that takes care of freedom, control, and rights. Now what was left? Oh, yes. The illusion of environmentally friendly automobiles. This has got to be the most oxymoronic phrase the English language has ever come up with. Environmentally friendly automobile.
Move with me into a dreamworld, an Eden of our own making. Hydrogen has become the fuel of choice. We can drive without any emissions of nasty, breath-robbing noxious fumes. The only thing that comes out of our tailpipe is water vapor. Clean, wholesome water vapor. Now, let's move a little snake into our Eden, a snake representing reality. First of all, production of hydrogen is a process that requires a lot of energy. The hydrogen atom must be split off from another chemical compound to which it is bound. The energy required to produce hydrogen is so intense that the only way to generate that much power is - you guessed it. Fossil fuels. The emissions involved in generating the fuel to keep your fuel cell car running completely offsets the reduction in emissions you have gotten by driving emission-free. This is the man behind the curtain when we consider the wizard of fuel cell technology. It is possible that we will at some time in the future discover a way to overcome this problem. Will that come too late? Or will we have invested so much in infrastructure that it will be too costly to switch to the new way of doing things? You don't have to answer that. Just think about it.
Now, for the other answers. High fuel efficiency standards for cars. Doubling the amount of miles per gallon that each automobile is required to get. This is like spitting in the ocean. It is far too little, far too late. Besides, history has accumulated ample evidence that every time the consumer is able to get a car that gets more miles to the gallon, they simply drive more miles. And fuel demand increases. This has proven true in spite of the fact that higher mileage cars have usually come about in response to increased gasoline prices. Folks are already used to buying a certain amount of gas. Rather than celebrate the fact that they no longer need that much, they simply celebrate the fact that they are able to drive more miles on that gas. In the United States, our gasoline demand is increasing at a far greater rate than our population.
And, in case the argument thus far hasn't convinced you that the car itself may be a problem, I will ask you to consider certain other factors. The automobile requires steel, plastic and rubber for its construction. The production of each of these commodities is environmentally devastating. The automobile requires roads for its operation. This creates impervious surfaces, which in turn creates polluted runoff and increased flooding. Not to mention the impact on communities and on nature (think roadkill). And, of course, road rage. Have you ever felt it? Those first little stirrings of irritation? The curse words that rise, unbidden, in your mind? The increasing crescendo of anger and frustration? Leading you eventually to yell mindless obscenities at the oblivious driver in front of you? No amount of reduced emissions can counter road rage.
Folks, I will address this issue in future columns. The subject of automobiles has so many angles, so many issues that it deserves talking about. You won't hear these words from Lester Brown. You won't hear them from Ralph Nader. You won't hear them from John Kerry. You certainly won't hear them from George W. Bush. For this topic, this is the place where you will hear it. Because, folks, I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore.
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