[sustran] [Fwd: [carfree_cities] Token efforts we know are useless...]

Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory edelman at greenidea.eu
Sat Oct 20 22:00:58 JST 2007
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Hi,

This is not a new argument but perhaps it is stated a different way...

I don't quite support all he says but it is clear to me that within our 
broad community focused on sustainability there is still way too much 
emphasis on mobility, in particular private cars, over decreasing the 
need for mobility. As Randy Ghent says here 
<http://www.worldcarfree.net/conference/2007/randall_ghent.doc> the 
balance is wrong.

Kyle's point about decreasing emissions is right on -- we already know 
how to do it without investing millions or billions in cleaner private 
cars. A similar point - about public transport - was made in the APTA 
report linked to from my Blog 
<http://greenideafactory.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-post.html>

- T


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[carfree_cities] Token efforts we know are useless...
Date: 	Sat, 20 Oct 2007 18:53:57 +1000
From: 	Kyle Schuant <kyle3054 at iprimus.com.au>
Reply-To: 	carfree_cities at yahoogroups.com
To: 	90PercentReduction at yahoogroups.com, carfree_cities at yahoogroups.com



... but do anyway?

I received in my inbox the other day a letter from people behind the
campaign hosted here - http://www.pewfuelefficiency.org/. 
<http://www.pewfuelefficiency.org/.>

"I am working with a coalition to ensure that Congress sends the
president a strong energy bill in 2007. This bill includes meaningful
changes for our environment and planet, namely the best fuel economy
standards ever -- 35 mpg by 2020. [...]

"This is a chance for real progress in our move towards a better
environment and less dependence on foreign oil. This legislation would
be a monumental step toward stopping global warming."

I replied,

"I am Australian. Your Congress does not care about me, nor I about it.

"And your bill (going on what you've said, since the text of it is
strangely absent from your website) is weak and sad anyway. You need a
bit more than that to get a better environment and lessen dependence on
foreign oil. The increased efficiencies will just be eaten up by a
larger number of cars and people driving further.

"Don't worry, by 2020 there'll be a lot less oil exported in the
world as the exporters run short and consume more domestically, so your
country won't be importing much anyway!"

The response to this was,

"Everything you say is true, that's for sure. Thanks for the frank
reply!"

I am puzzled by this. This person agrees that because of rising numbers
of vehicles and people's tendency to drive further when fuel is cheaper
or used more efficiently, that the 35 mpg efficiency standard is "weak
and sad", and that oil exports are drying up and will stop Americans
driving much anyway. So they agree that it's a token and useless effort,
but they're doing it anyway.

This, I think, explains a lot of our feelings of helplessness and
confusion, and our various governments' atrocious inactivity in the face
of climate change and peak fossil fuels. We waste time and effort on
useless token efforts. Why? I assume because it makes us feel good. But
doing something that makes you feel good and produces nothing is just
masturbation; not in itself a bad thing, but not perhaps something I
would boast about or ask other people to join me in.

We do not need more fuel efficient cars to get around. Even if we had a
1,000mpg car, that won't help us when the fuel runs short, nor will it
help us when the materials for making the cars themselves run short. We
already have fuel-efficient means of transport, in the form of trains,
trams, buses, ships, bicycles, animals and ultimately our feet. And all
those we can use today, we don't have to wait for our parliaments to
pass laws, or until 2020 or any other date. We can stop masturbating
right now and get on our bikes and go.

Cheers,
Kyle
http://greenwithagun.blogspot.com/ <http://greenwithagun.blogspot.com/>

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__,_._,___

-- 
--------------------------------------------

Todd Edelman
Director
Green Idea Factory

Korunní 72
CZ-10100 Praha 10
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Skype: toddedelman
++420 605 915 970
++420 222 517 832

edelman at greenidea.eu
http://greenideafactory.blogspot.com/
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Green Idea Factory is a member of World Carfree Network
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