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The solution to global warming and pollution does not lie with persuading people to change, but making technological breakthroughs which allow us to carry on en

The solution to global warming and pollution does not lie with persuading people to change, but making technological breakthroughs which allow us to carry on enjoying our lifestyles for a much lower cost to our enviroment.

InclinedPlane 14y ago
More than that, the key point of contention is the fact that several countries with a total population of billions of people (China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, and others) are going to transition into developed "first world" economies in the 21st century. Currently there is no known technology that would allow them to avoid heavy reliance on carbon based energy sources while that transformation occurs. It's easy to sit on our 1st world thrones and imagine that if only we drove our cars a bit less everything will be fine, in reality the issue is about holding back people who are living in poverty, who don't have access to modern medicine, who don't all have access to clean water, etc. It puts into perspective the putative hazards of global warming to weigh against the cost of holding half the population of Earth in poverty.
- ttt_ 14y ago
  You make a very good point. Taking Brazil in perspective, middle class is growing rapidly and with better credit the automobile industry is heavily targeting these potential car owners. Makes good sense economically and the state has been granting tax isemptions periodically which boosts sales significantly. However, car models are still pretty much inneficient fuel consumption wise. That I know of, there exists only one hybrid model avaiable and it's very expensive. Ethanol's price also turned it into a non-option for flex fuel models. Also, collective transportation is decades lagging pretty much everywhere that it's needed. This leads anyone that can afford it to purchase either a car or motorcicle in order to have decent mobility. It also makes it a class distinction thing, as in public transportation is a lower class problem. On the long run, IMO things look bleak for Brazil in terms of urban mobility and greenhouse emissions.
AnthonBerg 14y ago
Let's do both!

InclinedPlane 14y ago

More than that, the key point of contention is the fact that several countries with a total population of billions of people (China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, and others) are going to transition into developed "first world" economies in the 21st century. Currently there is no known technology that would allow them to avoid heavy reliance on carbon based energy sources while that transformation occurs. It's easy to sit on our 1st world thrones and imagine that if only we drove our cars a bit less everything will be fine, in reality the issue is about holding back people who are living in poverty, who don't have access to modern medicine, who don't all have access to clean water, etc. It puts into perspective the putative hazards of global warming to weigh against the cost of holding half the population of Earth in poverty.

ttt_ 14y ago
You make a very good point. Taking Brazil in perspective, middle class is growing rapidly and with better credit the automobile industry is heavily targeting these potential car owners. Makes good sense economically and the state has been granting tax isemptions periodically which boosts sales significantly. However, car models are still pretty much inneficient fuel consumption wise. That I know of, there exists only one hybrid model avaiable and it's very expensive. Ethanol's price also turned it into a non-option for flex fuel models. Also, collective transportation is decades lagging pretty much everywhere that it's needed. This leads anyone that can afford it to purchase either a car or motorcicle in order to have decent mobility. It also makes it a class distinction thing, as in public transportation is a lower class problem. On the long run, IMO things look bleak for Brazil in terms of urban mobility and greenhouse emissions.

AnthonBerg 14y ago

Let's do both!