[sustran] Re: Are bicycles good for the environment?

Eric Bruun ericbruun at earthlink.net
Tue Jul 25 05:13:17 JST 2006


There is another error in this analysis. Someone already mentioned
the impact of fuel consumption in long supply chains -- the US is extremely inefficient
because too much is concentrated in California and uses too much irrigation and fertilizer.
But perhaps even more important, high rates of grain-fed meat consumption make a much larger difference
in energy consumption than exercise. Feeding grain to animals instead of to people is  
highly inefficient.

Eric Bruun



-----Original Message-----
>From: Lee Schipper <SCHIPPER at wri.org>
>Sent: Jul 21, 2006 12:37 PM
>To: 'Asia and the Pacific sustainable transport' <sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>, carlos.pardo at sutp.org
>Subject: [sustran]  Re: Are bicycles good for the environment?
>
>Careful, the key to his thesis is that the extra length of life cyclists or others who esercise get translates into extra CO2 consumption, using
>the US per capita CO2 consumption as a way of estimating that difference.
>
>>>> carlos.pardo at sutp.org 7/21/2006 9:04 AM >>>
>Nobody who is a real cyclist will eat like a pig, or spend more resources
>than he or she should (I hope). I guess the author of the study thinks that
>everyone eats the same and the increase of hunger will increase the amount
>of food they eat. I would expect that from a couch potato. Or do they eat
>little? Of course, they die earlier.
>
>I know! Let's ride a bicycle to death! I almost got hit by a car half an
>hour ago coming back from my morning ride. I guess that is the most
>sustainable way to live... or die.
>
>Carlos F. Pardo 
>Coordinador de Proyecto 
>GTZ - Proyecto de Transporte Sostenible (SUTP, SUTP-LAC) 
>Cl 125bis # 41-28 of 404
>Bogotá D.C., Colombia
>Tel:  +57 (1) 215 7812
>Fax: +57 (1) 236 2309  
>Mobile: +57 (3) 15 296 0662
>e-mail: carlos.pardo at sutp.org 
>Página: www.sutp.org 
>
>
>-----Mensaje original-----
>De: sustran-discuss-bounces+carlos.pardo=sutp.org at list.jca.apc.org 
>[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+carlos.pardo=sutp.org at list.jca.apc.org] En
>nombre de Sunny
>Enviado el: Viernes, 21 de Julio de 2006 05:30 a.m.
>Para: Asia and the Pacific sustainable transport
>Asunto: [sustran] Re: Are bicycles good for the environment?
>
>Nice article but many things to think of...just becoz cyclists live 
>longer and eat more is cycling bad?...something to think of....how about 
>thinking of sustainable consumption rather....If the developed countries 
>consumed in a sustainable way then the world would have been a different 
>place. Though India is 2nd most populated country in the world but how 
>much energy does India consume compared to the developed counterparts? 
>Increasing demand of energy in India or China is for the industrial 
>activities which feed the developed countries. Self Sufficiency is the 
>buzz word I guess. When India cannot feed its own people why are we 
>planning to meet the needs of others (Only my govt. shud know).
>
>KEEP BIKING FOLKS!!!
>
>Sunny
>
>(I hope we wont end in a future where killing human is the only 
>sustainable alternative for living???? may be or maybe not)
>
>Francis Papon wrote:
>> Following this rationale, murderers are heroes and should be rewarded, 
>> investment in the weapon industry is the most sustainable and nuclear 
>> proliferation is a blessing.
>>
>> But there is a point: what is the ultimate goal of mankind, if any? Is 
>> it to make as many people as possible sustain a dull life, or to allow 
>> a happy few enjoy brilliant achievements? Or to put it in diachronic 
>> way, is it better to ensure the longest possible survival of the human 
>> species, at the price of enforcing for ever unfortunate lifestyles, or 
>> to promote the delightful current party, however short it may be?
>
>
>================================================================
>SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred,
>equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries
>(the 'Global South'). Because of the history of the list, the main focus is
>on urban transport policy in Asia.
>
>
>
>================================================================
>SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). Because of the history of the list, the main focus is on urban transport policy in Asia.
>
>
>
>================================================================
>SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global South'). Because of the history of the list, the main focus is on urban transport policy in Asia.



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