EPA to reject Obama fuel efficiency standards early next week

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by aerohead

environmental devastation delivered by the behavior of millions of Americans with 'decent' livings

That's a quite controversial matter. Didn't you know some people still rely on firewood illegally sourced at native forests in poor countries for cooking, and the poor ventilation at some 3rd-world kitchens lead to a higher concentration of carbon monoxide? That's just one example of how povertry may be tied to environmental devastation, since some people couldn't afford a greenwash.

When it comes to transportation, there might be a few countries where brand-new carburettor-fed cars are still available, not to mention some motorcycles that despite the lower fuel consumption have emission ratings worse than a U.S.-spec subcompact such as a Yaris or a Mirage. And even the methane from decomposing horse or donkey manure on the streets in places where horse-drawn carts are still not unusual (which unfortunately includes my hometown Porto Alegre where I still see horse-drawn carts once in a while) has a longer half-life than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, not to mention some eventual biological hazard of such manure.

[oil pan 4]

Russia was selling new carbed cars into the 2000s.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Russia was selling new carbed cars into the 2000s.

IIRC the last carburettor-fed vehicle in Australia was that Mitsubishi L300 van, which at least until a few years ago was still available with a carburettor-fed 4G63 engine in the Middle East. Not sure if it's still the case. Well, it's kinda weird that the UN pulls for stricter emission regulations in America and Europe, while in oil-rich countries there are no such strict regulations.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

That's a quite controversial matter. Didn't you know some people still rely on firewood illegally sourced at native forests in poor countries for cooking, and the poor ventilation at some 3rd-world kitchens lead to a higher concentration of carbon monoxide? That's just one example of how povertry may be tied to environmental devastation, since some people couldn't afford a greenwash.

When it comes to transportation, there might be a few countries where brand-new carburettor-fed cars are still available, not to mention some motorcycles that despite the lower fuel consumption have emission ratings worse than a U.S.-spec subcompact such as a Yaris or a Mirage. And even the methane from decomposing horse or donkey manure on the streets in places where horse-drawn carts are still not unusual (which unfortunately includes my hometown Porto Alegre where I still see horse-drawn carts once in a while) has a longer half-life than carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, not to mention some eventual biological hazard of such manure.

The point I wanted to emphasize,was that fossil-fuel combustion is equivalent to burning the entire world's forest cover (WFC),fifteen times each year.
Burning all Earth's forest,then burning it again,then again and again,until we've burned it fifteen times each year.
15-WFC,resolved into a single forest fire,is 1.7-X larger than the entire surface area of Earth,oceans,ice caps,glaciers,rivers,lakes,ponds,streams included.
Each year.
It's not as 'dramatic' as a burning/smoking Amazonian clear-cut,and
I'm not trying to trivialize what marginalized people are doing,when pushed to the margins of civilization;however,'decent',well-paid 1st-worlders may want to consider the impact of their daily consumer behavior and lifestyle which can be directly measured from NASA's mission to planet Earth.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by aerohead

I'm not trying to trivialize what marginalized people are doing,when pushed to the margins of civilization;however,'decent',well-paid 1st-worlders may want to consider the impact of their daily consumer behavior and lifestyle which can be directly measured from NASA's mission to planet Earth.

Indeed. Well, some folks would only consider such impact and a way to decrease it if they could take bragging rights for this move. You know, even if one would go as far as replacing a V8 gas-guzzler landyacht with a motorcycle or a tricycle, probably it would involve some attempt to look "stylish" in a Vespa (the newer 4-stroke ones) for example. OTOH it's important to notice that motorcycles are tied to a less stringent emission regulation, which has already been used as an argument to point out that even a 125cc motorcycle could be worse on that matter than a 6-cylinder car of the same age.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

That's a quite controversial matter. Didn't you know some people still rely on firewood illegally sourced at native forests in poor countries for cooking, and the poor ventilation at some 3rd-world kitchens lead to a higher concentration of carbon monoxide? That's just one example of how povertry may be tied to environmental devastation, since some people couldn't afford a greenwash.

Yet, as the Global Footprint Network notes in its press release for this year's Earth Overshoot Day, if everyone in the world lived like we do in the US, we would need 5 Earths' worth of resources to sustain ourselves. If we all lived like the average Brazilian, we would need 1.8. If we all lived like the average Indian, we would need 0.7.

Or how about this, from the Union of Concerned Scientists:



Those Sub-Saharan African countries and other poor countries don't even register, in terms of carbon pollution--the US alone pumps out 75% as much pollution as all of them put together.

Before you go blaming poor countries for our consumption/pollution woes, make sure you look in a mirror first.

[Xist]

Are you saying that Ecomodder uses dirty power?

[jjackstone]

I had been wondering what the new EPA administrator was planning to do about mr. pruitt's attempt to destroy the fuel emission standards set by Obama. Here's what I found.

From:Inside Climate News

Future of Fuel Economy Standards
The White House also is reviewing the Pruitt EPA's draft of a new set of regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks. The draft proposes freezing the emissions standards that the Obama administration crafted in an historic deal with automakers in the wake of their federal government bailout in 2009.

On this proposal, Wheeler could well decide to take a less confrontational path than Pruitt, who indicated he was prepared to challenge California's authority—enshrined in law since the 1970s—to set its own, stricter air pollution rules. Automakers have repeatedly urged the Trump administration to try to reach an agreement with California.

"The automakers are saying, 'Don't start a war with California that we will have to conduct, and get the whole thing rejected by the courts, and leave us with the blame,'" Becker said.

In a blog post published after a contentious meeting between auto executives and Trump at the White House, Ford's executive chairman, Bill Ford, and CEO, Jim Hackett, wrote that their company acknowledged the need to address climate change due to carbon emissions. "We support increasing clean car standards through 2025 and are not asking for a rollback," they wrote. "We want one set of standards nationally, along with additional flexibility to help us provide more affordable options for our customers."

Becker said that translates into a roadmap that Wheeler may be inclined to follow: "Lots of loopholes—the same rollback, but where the public can't really see it."


I hope someone is paying close attention to this man.

In answer to my own post here, the following popped up in the news today.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ntent=politics

It basically says that the EPA is going to continue the fight against California's stricter air pollution measures.

JJ

[oil pan 4]

The auto makers shouldn't have to cater to California.
They're just driving the vehicle price up for everyone who isn't in California.

[NeilBlanchard]

If car makers didn't sell cars in California, they would go out of business. California and the other states that follow their regs buy a huge portion of the vehicles sold in the US. Like almost half of them.