What we really need is less people. --- On Sat, 6/30/12, Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU> wrote: From: Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU> Subject: Re: EPA and Vanagon Emissions To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Date: Saturday, June 30, 2012, 6:00 AM A liter of water weighs a kilo - that's how a kilo is defined. Gasoline weighs less than water. But in any case, the point was that burning one liter of gas (weighing less than one kilo) emits more than 2 kg of carbon, which is what seemed odd to me. Diesel may well emit less per distance - the point was that (irrespective of your gas mileage) you have to burn less to emit less. Depending on your fuel and your fuel efficiency, that might mean you drive more or less miles. The ultimate goal here is not less emissions per mile, it's less emissions. If you have to reduce miles to accomplish that, so be it. From what I've read, when people get more fuel-efficient vehicles, they tend to drive more since the cost of driving has gone down. So their emissions stay the same. From an environmental perspective, the goal is to get emissions down. Whereas the personal goal might be to be able to drive more (i.e. go to more fun places) at the same cost (usually in money, not emissions). The personal goal does not help achieve the environmental goal. |
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