Re: Are you concerned about your carbon footprint? What are you doing about it? Very relevant topic. I build these sort of models for a living, and it's very bad currently. Anyone who is a denier / non-believer - well there are still people who believe that the earth is flat, some races / sexes are superior to others. Takes all kinds.
A few data points may help here:
1. End of life and recycling cost of cars is high, as is their manufacturing. In countries with high mileage, 30% of the total carbon cost of a car is manufacturing and pre-ownership delivery. In low-mileage India, it is likely over 50%. So all of you who drive old cars, like a Thar, rest easy. Occasional jaunts are far less harmful than buying a brand new BMW every 3 years. Buying used also helps. My newest car is an 11 year old Swift Diesel which gives great kmpl.
2. Lovely to see the ostrich attitude of some esteemed members who are proud to not pay attention. Oh well, neither does POTUS.
3. Encouraging to see that a lot of us either pay attention, try and understand the details, or realise that we should start now.
4. Business / first class flights really increase carbon loading (someone mentioned they take a few a year). Currently working with some aerospace cos to see how this can be turned around, or at least mitigated.
5. Environmental cost of cotton / rice / steel / cement is insane. You could not drive a car your entire life and it's still the smallest and possibly most trivial step you can take.
6. CO2 has increased 40% since the pre-industrial age. Now a standard CO2 meter begins at 400 ppm which is the new normal. It was 270 or so in 1750. Methane has increased nearly 170% in the same time frame. Whoever is saying we don't have enough CO2 possibly doesn't understand how large-scale environmental models work.
7. Going vegetarian in India is not a big game-changer. Even non-vegetarians in India eat 1-2 pieces of chicken once in a while. Hardcore meat eaters are rare. Beef and cattle farming is a big source of GHGs worldwide, but Indians have possibly the world's lowest per-capita consumption of beef, and there is no beef farming. Poultry is relatively low on the emissions scale (70% of poultry emissions are from electricity for the farm).
8. Gotta love people who say 'it doesn't affect me'. When Bombay / Kerala / Chennai floods, doesn't affect you, I guess. Or when we pay increased taxes and surcharges as natural disaster relief, you're safe. Or when stock markets sway because of unnatural rainfall and depleted water levels for our agrarian economy, it's all cool.
8. Bashing the few public figures, teenage or elected representative, who actually care and are trying to make a difference (and have nothing to gain) is cheap and low. I thought as a forum, we were better than this. |