-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 How about if I use my own form of "carbon offset"? E.g. if I drive our Honda Civic or my motorcycle, then I can go 75mph; but if I drive my V8, I stick to 55mph?
Do I qualify as a non-posturing non-demagogue? Or, perhaps at least a posturing non-demagogue? - From that url: http://eartheasy.com/live_fueleff_graph.jpg This image clearly distorts the truth. The correlation between speed and fuel usage is governed by the gear box. If I go 60 mph in 4th gear, I get much better gas mileage than if I go 60 mph in 3rd gear. Now, that's compensated for to some extent by the engine being tuned for maximum efficiency at some RPM. Below and above that RPM, I can imagine that the engine spews more pollutants than it does at that optimal RPM. That's what allows my bike to get better mileage at 75 mph than it does at 60 mph. But, overall, I think burning more gas results in more emissions. So, the graph should relate RPMs (possibly crossed with displacement) and MPG, not speed and MPG. At least there's a comment about this at the bottom of that url. Robert Holmes wrote: > You're right Steve, average fuel efficiency does not go up after 55mph, > it goes down. It varies from car to car but you'd see something like a > 20% increase in fuel consumption going from 55mph to 75mph. Consumption > is also highly dependent on how you drive. See > http://eartheasy.com/live_fuel_efficient_driving.htm. > > The conclusion? Anyone on this list who professes to really really care > about doing something about climate change yet doesn't start driving > along freeways at 55 mph instead of 75 mph is - like Gore - nothing more > than a posturing demagogue. - -- glen e. p. ropella, 971-219-3846, http://tempusdictum.com But what no person has a right to, is to delude others into the belief that faith is something of no great significance, or that it is an easy matter, whereas it is the greatest and most difficult of all things. -- Sören Kierkegaard -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFGwfhyZeB+vOTnLkoRAuD9AKDUYp7l7qcNrnQc8CpAPhyVU1FuHwCgq+R/ y5Lm5ifeLFNvzu4+7itDvEc= =Zmtp -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
