Pretty frightening stuff in the news today about Glaciers Disappearing. It is discouraging that people continue to tout coal and oil- produced energy as "cheaper" than solar. Or that the US government continues to avoid the Kyoto treaty because it will "hurt the econonomy", or that people are getting all excited about "pollution free" hydrogen cars... when one of the most significant threats we face is carbon dioxide pollution.
Our diesel landcruiser gets nearly 25 miles to the gallon. It is nearly 20 years old. What, can someone PLEASE tell me, are auto companies doing releasing daily-driver vehicles that get less than 25mpg?? C'mon folks!! Twenty years and they haven't improved mileage at all!?!? That is inexcusable.
According to USA Today, 45% of the oil we use in the US goes to cars and light trucks (read: passenger vehicles). Diesels get about 30% more mileage per gallon of fuel*, significantly more when the cars are large and heavy (SUVs) or in low-speed applications (stop and go highway traffic). In Europe, most people drive diesels*. In the states, less than 1/2% of passenger cars are diesel powered*.
To all of that add this: we can run diesels without burning petroleum. Biodiesel is here, there are thousands of vehicles in the US alone that are running it, successfully. There are even people running their vehicles on straight used vegetable oil, which produces exactly ZERO net carbon dioxide (all the carbon there was in the air a year or two ago, captured by a plant, made into oil, then burned= net gain of zero).
Bummer post for such a beautiful Sunday morning, I know. But relevant.
(* all from a NY Times article)