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Weaning consumers away from dirty gas-guzzling autos
By Wu Jiayin |
June 6, 2009, Saturday
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AUTO pollution is a major contributor to global warming and the energy crisis, yet life without the comfort and mobility offered by cars is unthinkable to many people.
The authors of "Zoom," Iain Carson and Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, attempt to find a compromise - using clean fuel cars not powered by petroleum.
They appear confident, clearly too confident, that a timely shift from gas-burning cars to those powered by other sources will greatly help solve environmental problems without ridding the world of cars.
Chances are, however, that human beings would already have run out of oil before they could seriously turn to clean energy sources to fuel autos, and producing "green" cars also involves energy consumption.
However, they rightly emphasize the importance of moving away from petroleum fuels and building a vast grassroots movement for change.
The move toward cleaner cars is small and gradual, but apparent and becoming stronger.
The authors point to the decline of the US big auto and big oil industries and the rapid growth of Toyota, the world's largest auto producer and maker of small and fuel-efficient cars.
Soaring oil prices and the increasing environmental problems have driven consumer to seek more energy-efficient, environment-friendly car.
While Toyota increased its global market share in recent decades, the Big Three US auto makers - in deep trouble or bankruptcy - had stuck to their "big auto" and "big oil" strategy, losing their competitive edge.
"GM unveiled its first Hummer at just about the time it decided to pull the plug on its EV1, the sleek, all-electric car (thus it) gave away its lead in automobile electronics," the authors write.
Choosing old, profitable technology instead of leading the way to cleaner technology and fuels trapped GM, Ford and Chrysler in unsustainable manufacturing models, they write.
On Monday General Motors filed for bankruptcy, following the bankruptcy of Chrysler in April.
The root problem is that American cars cost too much and are not good enough. In particular, the companies have failed to change in line with the shift of consumer tastes from big, oil-consuming cars to smaller, more energy-efficient ones.
This echoes the authors' observation that whether today's auto giants will survive depends on how well they adapt and create viable, innovative transportation, since "Toyota ... will drag the rest of the world's auto industry along ... When the industry leader decides ... to look for a world beyond petroleum ... others have to follow."
Carson and Vaitheeswaran are correct in saying that the importance of changing to cleaner cars cannot be overemphasized, given the country's addiction to petroleum and resulting global warming.
They argue that weaning consumers from oil can be hastened by the joint efforts of governments and individuals, particularly those developed countries that have been the major polluters.
Those countries have an obligation to lead the way to cleaner cars.
This is a responsibility some of them have been evading consistently.
Despite a few green shoots, it is clear that "Petroleum will clearly be with us for many years to come," conclude the authors.
But for now it is urgent to limit, not encourage, the use of cars.
The authors of "Zoom," Iain Carson and Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, attempt to find a compromise - using clean fuel cars not powered by petroleum.
They appear confident, clearly too confident, that a timely shift from gas-burning cars to those powered by other sources will greatly help solve environmental problems without ridding the world of cars.
Chances are, however, that human beings would already have run out of oil before they could seriously turn to clean energy sources to fuel autos, and producing "green" cars also involves energy consumption.
However, they rightly emphasize the importance of moving away from petroleum fuels and building a vast grassroots movement for change.
The move toward cleaner cars is small and gradual, but apparent and becoming stronger.
The authors point to the decline of the US big auto and big oil industries and the rapid growth of Toyota, the world's largest auto producer and maker of small and fuel-efficient cars.
Soaring oil prices and the increasing environmental problems have driven consumer to seek more energy-efficient, environment-friendly car.
While Toyota increased its global market share in recent decades, the Big Three US auto makers - in deep trouble or bankruptcy - had stuck to their "big auto" and "big oil" strategy, losing their competitive edge.
"GM unveiled its first Hummer at just about the time it decided to pull the plug on its EV1, the sleek, all-electric car (thus it) gave away its lead in automobile electronics," the authors write.
Choosing old, profitable technology instead of leading the way to cleaner technology and fuels trapped GM, Ford and Chrysler in unsustainable manufacturing models, they write.
On Monday General Motors filed for bankruptcy, following the bankruptcy of Chrysler in April.
The root problem is that American cars cost too much and are not good enough. In particular, the companies have failed to change in line with the shift of consumer tastes from big, oil-consuming cars to smaller, more energy-efficient ones.
This echoes the authors' observation that whether today's auto giants will survive depends on how well they adapt and create viable, innovative transportation, since "Toyota ... will drag the rest of the world's auto industry along ... When the industry leader decides ... to look for a world beyond petroleum ... others have to follow."
Carson and Vaitheeswaran are correct in saying that the importance of changing to cleaner cars cannot be overemphasized, given the country's addiction to petroleum and resulting global warming.
They argue that weaning consumers from oil can be hastened by the joint efforts of governments and individuals, particularly those developed countries that have been the major polluters.
Those countries have an obligation to lead the way to cleaner cars.
This is a responsibility some of them have been evading consistently.
Despite a few green shoots, it is clear that "Petroleum will clearly be with us for many years to come," conclude the authors.
But for now it is urgent to limit, not encourage, the use of cars.
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