Comments on: What’s The Environmental Impact Of Cash For Clunkers? http://donklephant.com/2009/08/05/whats-the-environmental-impact-of-cash-for-clunkers/ Big Teeth. Huge Ass. Surprisingly Reasonable. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:03:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: John Jones http://donklephant.com/2009/08/05/whats-the-environmental-impact-of-cash-for-clunkers/comment-page-1/#comment-540427 John Jones Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:43:18 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=16102#comment-540427 Nick, When you question someone's proof it would be good for you to actually have your own. None of your articles talks about the energy used to produce a car. They only talk about the percentage of energy consumption used by transportation which was not the point being made. Nick,

When you question someone’s proof it would be good for you to actually have your own. None of your articles talks about the energy used to produce a car. They only talk about the percentage of energy consumption used by transportation which was not the point being made.

]]> By: Brad Templeman http://donklephant.com/2009/08/05/whats-the-environmental-impact-of-cash-for-clunkers/comment-page-1/#comment-531736 Brad Templeman Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:07:20 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=16102#comment-531736 If they really wanted people to buy fuel efficient cars, they would get rid of CAFE, increase the gas tax and let the market handle the rest. People were furiously getting rid of SUVs at $4.00 for the first time, but then the price fell and people didn't care about it anymore. It would be better economically and environmentally than Cap and Trade too. If they really wanted people to buy fuel efficient cars, they would get rid of CAFE, increase the gas tax and let the market handle the rest. People were furiously getting rid of SUVs at $4.00 for the first time, but then the price fell and people didn’t care about it anymore. It would be better economically and environmentally than Cap and Trade too.

]]> By: Nick Benjamin http://donklephant.com/2009/08/05/whats-the-environmental-impact-of-cash-for-clunkers/comment-page-1/#comment-531201 Nick Benjamin Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:14 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=16102#comment-531201 <i>The production of the petroleum-based plastics required to make cars lighter and more fuel efficient uses more energy and releases more greenhouse gasses than the use of those cars could ever hope to account for.</i> Cute. But without proof that's all it is. According to actual experts, who actually know stuff, all industrial processes in the entire country produce less carbon than the transportation sector. This is true globally and just in the US: http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/CO2/2008_data.htm#table5 http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/carbon.html Highway emissions are 80% of transport emissions: http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/stories/wrightspeed/page1.html The production of the petroleum-based plastics required to make cars lighter and more fuel efficient uses more energy and releases more greenhouse gasses than the use of those cars could ever hope to account for.

Cute. But without proof that’s all it is.

According to actual experts, who actually know stuff, all industrial processes in the entire country produce less carbon than the transportation sector. This is true globally and just in the US:
http://www.earthpolicy.org/Indicators/CO2/2008_data.htm#table5
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/carbon.html

Highway emissions are 80% of transport emissions:
http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/stories/wrightspeed/page1.html

]]> By: Jimmy the Dhimmi http://donklephant.com/2009/08/05/whats-the-environmental-impact-of-cash-for-clunkers/comment-page-1/#comment-531105 Jimmy the Dhimmi Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:28:32 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=16102#comment-531105 Obama supporting an artificial, permanent raise on the gas tax? Obama promised that middle class families wouldn't see their tax burden increase one dime. Democrats made high gas prices a campaign issue in the 2006 congressional elections. I seriously doubt this will be on their agenda, although there seems to be an expiration date on Obama's campaign promises. Also, according to MSNBC, environmental activists <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32290028/ns/us_news-environment/" rel="nofollow">don't seem to be too impressed</a>. We don't even consider the environmental costs of shipping the dismantled engines to China where they will be smelted down in huge coal-burning furnaces. This is just a disaster. It is like when FDR paid farmers to burn there harvests or destroy their livestock in order to keep food prices high -you know, to promote jobs in the agricultural sector - while Americans were hungry in the streets during the depression. Obama supporting an artificial, permanent raise on the gas tax? Obama promised that middle class families wouldn’t see their tax burden increase one dime. Democrats made high gas prices a campaign issue in the 2006 congressional elections. I seriously doubt this will be on their agenda, although there seems to be an expiration date on Obama’s campaign promises.

Also, according to MSNBC, environmental activists don’t seem to be too impressed. We don’t even consider the environmental costs of shipping the dismantled engines to China where they will be smelted down in huge coal-burning furnaces.

This is just a disaster. It is like when FDR paid farmers to burn there harvests or destroy their livestock in order to keep food prices high -you know, to promote jobs in the agricultural sector – while Americans were hungry in the streets during the depression.

]]> By: kranky kritter http://donklephant.com/2009/08/05/whats-the-environmental-impact-of-cash-for-clunkers/comment-page-1/#comment-531068 kranky kritter Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:04:59 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=16102#comment-531068 Price fixing. What a great, great, idea. That <i>always</i> works. :-) As to the clunkers program, I can't help but wonder how much it has really effected overall purchasing behavior. Many folks have already begun purchasing more efficient vehicles after the fuel price scares of the last 2 years. So do we really know whether folks bought more efficient cars only because of this program? By the way, there are great deals out there on allegedly undesirable "gas guzzlers" like minivans, in case you have a family of 4+. And there are great deals on pickups and suvs, in case you need, you know, <i>utility</i>. But before you buym just remember that if you think cargo space and weight capacity and crash safety might be useful for your family, work, or things you do, then you're just part of the problem. It's important to be patriotic and buy what people living in cities, without families, and working in offices think is appropriate. Price fixing. What a great, great, idea. That always works. :-)

As to the clunkers program, I can’t help but wonder how much it has really effected overall purchasing behavior. Many folks have already begun purchasing more efficient vehicles after the fuel price scares of the last 2 years. So do we really know whether folks bought more efficient cars only because of this program?

By the way, there are great deals out there on allegedly undesirable “gas guzzlers” like minivans, in case you have a family of 4+. And there are great deals on pickups and suvs, in case you need, you know, utility.

But before you buym just remember that if you think cargo space and weight capacity and crash safety might be useful for your family, work, or things you do, then you’re just part of the problem. It’s important to be patriotic and buy what people living in cities, without families, and working in offices think is appropriate.

]]> By: Tully http://donklephant.com/2009/08/05/whats-the-environmental-impact-of-cash-for-clunkers/comment-page-1/#comment-531063 Tully Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:37:58 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=16102#comment-531063 Hey! Quit pointing out truths! Hey! Quit pointing out truths!

]]> By: Hill Staffer http://donklephant.com/2009/08/05/whats-the-environmental-impact-of-cash-for-clunkers/comment-page-1/#comment-531055 Hill Staffer Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:01:00 +0000 http://donklephant.com/?p=16102#comment-531055 Overlooked in many environmental impact analyses is the fact that the production of more fuel efficient vehicles (the GM board recently ordered increases in production of those vehicles, probably responding to the C4C program) uses far more petroleum than could ever be saved by increases in fuel efficiency of each of those cars. The production of the petroleum-based plastics required to make cars lighter and more fuel efficient uses more energy and releases more greenhouse gasses than the use of those cars could ever hope to account for. Overlooked in many environmental impact analyses is the fact that the production of more fuel efficient vehicles (the GM board recently ordered increases in production of those vehicles, probably responding to the C4C program) uses far more petroleum than could ever be saved by increases in fuel efficiency of each of those cars.

The production of the petroleum-based plastics required to make cars lighter and more fuel efficient uses more energy and releases more greenhouse gasses than the use of those cars could ever hope to account for.

]]>