To think that cars are the biggest cause of climate change?

[malificent7]

I didn't learn to drive till I was 30 as I was concerned about the effects of cars on global warming. Everyone thought I was mad...however now that climate change is a hot topic i wonder how many people still feel that driving isn't damaging to the planet?
Then there are the car accidents, roads are an eyesore.
I mean I drive as I live in the country but I kind of hate it too.

Modern cars produce very little CO2, often none, which is one of the biggest causes of climate change.

No ICE vehicle produces zero co2, you can't burn petrol/diesel without producing co2 (and a bunch of other harmful emissions).

Apparently the world's sixteen biggest ships put out the same co2 as all the cars

That was sulphur emissions, reported about 10 years ago, and is largely down to the fact ships burn unrefined heavy fuels.

Currently shipping accounts for around 1.7% of ghg emissions and road vehicles 11.9%.

The biggest contributors to
ghg emissions by sector atm are

Industrial energy use @ 24.2%
Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use @ 18.4% (livestock accounts for 5.8% for those interested).
Energy used in residential/commercial buildings @ 17.5%
Transport @ 16.2% (with road vehicles making up 11.9%)

No ICE vehicle produces zero co2, you can't burn petrol/diesel without producing co2 (and a bunch of other harmful emissions).
Increasing numbers of modern cars are not ICE vehicles.

The core underlying cause or problem is essentially us. Too many consumers for finite resources. Yes that includes the on trend “eco warrior” vegan school parent on the school run with the electric cargo bicycle and multiple children all frequent seasoned low cost flights traveller claiming green credentials by leaving the Chelsea tractor parked up.

The larger the demand the more implications on supply and negative environmental impact. When the population explosion in the developing world becomes more advanced and demand first world living standards is when we will see exponential negative environmental concerns. The Americans (and Japanese) lead the big per capita capitalist consumerism trend but ultimately Africans, Latin Americans and south Asians will aspire to this level of conspicuous consumption held up as being developed.

China is already rapidly advance and indeed possibly world leading in on demand mobile remote order at home rapid direct to home/workplace delivery consumerism satisfying instant gratification single use disposable lifestyles. This is a trend that has been noticeably ubiquitous in most British metropolitan areas particularly accelerated during the pandemic.

It begins with people as fossil fuels, food and materials production and manufactured products plus the associated logistical requirements won’t be as environmentally challenging without consumerism.

Unsurprisingly nobody apart from me mentions intentional environmental destruction of people and territories with perpetual global and regional military conflicts in the Middle East and Africa etc. Bombs are resource heavy and ultimately environmentally most destructive. But that is “ok” with many and forgotten about when out of sight out of mind until lateral damage refugees come sailing in illegally.

I blame low cost flights far more than cars.

It was lovely in lockdown to see the sky clear from jet trails for once.

[quote VeniVidiWeeWee]@hawkins001

No, it's not. They consume huge amounts of power. See here:

www.computerworld.com/article/3431148/why-data-centres-are-the-new-frontier-in-the-fight-against-climate-change.html[/quote]
presumably stuff like Bitcoin 'mining' contributes to this? I really don't understand how currency can be 'created' using computers?

@spinningspaniels

I blame low cost flights far more than cars.

It was lovely in lockdown to see the sky clear from jet trails for once.

I think flying is a wonderful privelige and it's ridiculous to think that it doesn't benefit mankind hugely. I fly a lot but you are right about budget airlines, I would rather shit in my hands and clap. I fly Qatar Airways business but pay a premium to do so so who cares? I have been on 3 bubble holidays since February and am off to Maldives again next week. Shoot me.

Jakers what's your annual mileage?

In a normal year around 25k total across 7 cars.

@Buccanarab Currently shipping accounts for around 1.7% of ghg emissions and road vehicles 11.9%.

Would you happen to know the breakdown of the 11.9% between:-

Private cars
Taxis
Public transport vehicles
Goods vehicles

@ Nengineer

Enjoy the Maldives. I love the cosy private sea planes there as a surreal experience and brings in much needed tourist investment to this most beautiful but poor and extremely low lying nation with much of it submerging due to climate warming and melting polar ice caps due to ozone pollution etc. Sea planes like those in Maldives and Canada can become an addictive mode of transportation.

Try Bora Bora and French Polynesia. I won’t fly there anymore as French President Macron just mentioned it in the news on his trip there thanking these French colonial outposts for the use of territory for historical nuclear bomb experiments.

I am trying to stay and do things local but finding British staycation a challenge because of variable weather and lack of exotic curiosity! You need to truly unwind somewhere different from home and that and being a little greener is tricky. The pandemic has some ecological advantages.

While people are tying themselves in knots to drive less, change diet etc, the biggest emission culprits are laughing all the way to the bank...
It would help considerably more if we changed how most of our energy is produced than if people keep guilting each other about their use of food/car/clothes.

We are changing how our energy is produced

Years ago electricity generation was the uk biggest source of carbon

Now it's transport

The change isn't complete but it is happening

@midgemagneto

We are changing how our energy is produced

Years ago electricity generation was the uk biggest source of carbon

Now it's transport

The change isn't complete but it is happening

There will allways be something the biggest. Eventually it might even be lentils. Transport is quite necessary (though changes for better I see are good way forward like more ecological buses. Companies could also teach their drivers on normal buses not to idle for half an hour for no reason whatsoever 🙄). Private cars make aboit half the transport emisssions which onsidering number of people isn't THAT bad imho. I've seen an electric lorries in news not so long ago and that's a good step forward as well (also interesting the electric cables scheme thing. It would make them basically a lorry tram (?) and I quite like that😁). The energy is one thing where change is happening (moving away from coal is big) and can have overall massive impact. I simply don't see a reason to feel bad about eating meat when we are still burning fossils for energy in the numbers we do though. Because that would make considerably bigger difference than me skipping few steaks.

Yes somethings make a bigger change than others

But the changes that happen soonest make biggest impact overall

Snd the more we can do now the less painful it will be

saying I won't make any savings unless I can save at least 200 a month just means you get no savings

Whereas saving 20 a month now with is 2400 a year plus interest

So long as we blame other bigger countries and defend our behaviors as "its not as bad as x y or z" then we will never confront the realities of climate, while weather extremes wash away or melt the roads we demand to use.

Someone today said that within (i think) 30 years, life on the planet will cease being a relative benign place for us humans.

Its scary but much like that film with Keanu Reeves, we won't listen let alone change - Yesterday the UK announced the resumption of air travel from around the globe.

So long as we blame other bigger countries and defend our behaviors as "its not as bad as x y or z" then we will never confront the realities of climate, while weather extremes wash away or melt the roads we demand to use.

so long as we blame anything or anyone else but ourselves driving, this thread is a clear example with many not wanting to face up to the facts

YABU to decide cars are the most polluting thing for the environment just because you feel they are! Easy enough to Google the facts!

@lazylinguist

YABU to decide cars are the most polluting thing for the environment just because you feel they are! Easy enough to Google the facts!

Another poster completely missing the point.

@midgemagneto

Yes somethings make a bigger change than others

But the changes that happen soonest make biggest impact overall

Snd the more we can do now the less painful it will be

saying I won't make any savings unless I can save at least 200 a month just means you get no savings

Whereas saving 20 a month now with is 2400 a year plus interest

No. It's more like finding mini shrapnels of a penny coin once a year. That's what a person driving less is. And I say that as someone using mainly buses.

I also didn't say it's all or nothing. Everyone does something. But this blaming each other over a steak, a ride to a supermarket, an almond milk or god forbid using plastic straws is ridiculous, achieves nothing. But it's easy targets and gives people the good SM optics when they do "unlike you I care properly"...

Human behaviour ie our ability to destroy or change the environment at will. Burning fossil fuels, deforestation, overpopulation etc. It's all coming to a head now but the causes and effects have been known about for years

@hamstersarse

China

And wealthy people fucking around the place in their jets, paid for by the profits of their unclean business practices whilst hiding beneath the cover of climate statements published on glossy paper, and faux, ineffectual "efforts" to reduce waste and emissions.

Whilst telling us it's all our fault for being the filthy ignorant peasants we are.

It's pretty much the same as covid, and the explosion of cases after all those working class ahem not so much ski trips and classic working poor carribean Christmases. Aww, what are we like, eh? Yet again, apparently all our fault for saying Merry Christmas on the doorstop...or something.

Let me just add that I actually used to be pro personal changes and did lots of them, but realising the impact indidvidual makes is just. Yeah. So I at least reuse stuff and try not to buy new stuff I don't really need to ensure I am not in the overconsumption are and don't drive factory, half the world around transport and energy emissions up unnecessarily.

Of course not. Deforestation for soya plantations for animal feed for the meat industry.

Trendy foods such as avocado that need 70 litres to grow one single avocado, packed in masses of plastic packaging and flown half way around the word. It's terrible for the environment so not even us veggies/ vegans get a free pass.

China, America, India.

Eating meat, deforestation, having children

Flying, cruising

It all contributes and much worse than cars

[quote cinammonbuns]@hamstersarse hate to see this banded around. Yes that’s true they also have the biggest population on the planet and are producing goods for all of us. The device you used to type that comment was made in China in full or in part. It sounds completely ignorant and pushes the blame to another country when it is fuelled by consumption all over the West.[/quote]
China needed to develop and needs to continue to develop to improve the living conditions of a billion+ people.

They can sell their much-needed cheap items to anywhere in the world that wants them. If Europe decided to stop buying Chinese products, it would not make a tiny bit of difference.

The business model is still there.

Chinese people don’t want to live in fucking poverty anymore. Deal.

I don't understand why it has to be all or mostly one thing. As long as people try to pinpoint the 'one thing' that is worst they can excuse all the other 'less bad' things and nothing will change.

It's lots of things, which all need addressing/improving if we want to try to do something. Nothing is not worth doing.