On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 17:29:44, Now go have a beer Bob Paolino said: "A "pay-not-to-drive" plan aimed at slowing down global warming needs to recognise that miles (or kilometres) don't cause global warming, burning dinofuel does, so the credit should reward people who cause less pollution, and if they can do it with more efficient and cleaner vehicles all the better."
A motor vehicle that averages 20 miles to the gallon, and is driven 10,000 miles in a year, emits 5.5 tons of CO2 to the atmosphere a year. A motor vehicle that averages 40 miles to the gallon, and is driven 10,000 miles in a year, emits 2.75 tons of CO2 to the atmosphere a year. A motor vehicle that averages 20 miles to the gallon, and is driven 5,000 miles in a year, emits 2.25 tons of CO2 to the atmosphere a year. A motor vehicle that averages 40 miles to the gallon, and is driven 5,000 miles in a year, emits 1.125 tons of CO2 to the atmosphere a year. People driving fewer vehicle miles (in a day, month, year) reduces the cumulative impacts on the environment no matter the kind of vehicle driven. Those who buy the gas guzzlers (and drive them) impact the environment, and therefore humans and animals), even more than those who buy and drive more efficient motor vehicles; but they pay higher amounts of fuel taxes as a result. No argument fuel taxes should be higher. The extra funds left over from the higher fuel taxes should be used in providing additional incentive (rebates) for people to drive less (a double incentive: the increase in fuel tax is a negative incentive; the annual rebates for driving less is a positive one). Driving less helps the community and environment in other ways as well. For example, if less overall miles are driven in the state/county/community, there is less of need to expand highways into other areas not presently dedicated to highway use. Reduced widening of highways (or creating highway by passes of communities), thus reduces the costs involved in highway expansion, less disruption of agricultural land, wildlife habitat or residential/commercial relocations. Because the new or wider highway is no longer needed, the economic and environmental costs of excavating the hillsides (for gravel used in concrete, sand and gravel in grading the highways, etc.) are eliminated. With reduced miles driven in a city/county/state there is less potential for safety problems associated with heavy automobile use of streets that might be used by bicyclists, or crossed by pedestrians and bicyclists using bike paths intersecting with city streets. You might be interested in knowing that in 1970, the number of motor vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on Wisconsin roadways was 22 billion; by the end of 1998, VMT more than doubled to 50.4 billion miles/per, increasing 7 times Wisconsin's population growth percentage during those years of 15% from 1970-98. Motor vehicle miles traveled in Wisconsin climbed from 50.4 billion miles per year in 1998 to 58.7 billion miles by the end of 2002, an increase of[ ] in just fours years (increasing an average of [ ] billion additional VMT each year since 1998. Motor vehicle miles traveled in Dane County increased from 3 billion miles in year 1990 to 4.6 billion miles in year 2000, a 53% increase in 10 years, or more than 3 times Dane County's population growth of 16% during that same period. VMT in Dane County increased from 4.6 for year 2001 to 4.8 billion miles for year 2002, increasing by . In 2000, a family of 4 in Dane County drove an average of 43,200 miles, or 32% more miles (10,500 miles), than did a family of 4 living in Dane County in 1990. http://madison.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/4580 Global Warming is Irreversible - Time to Slow it is NOW! by Michael T. Neuman May 6, 2002 ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
