Jun 06
15
Can America Ever Go Green?
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In the New Statesman the question is posed – “Can America go green?”
And the jury is clearly out on this:
“Consider what has happened to the average new home built in the
country. Even as average household size has declined, the size of the
average house has ballooned. It was 1,000 square feet in 1950 and is
nearly 2,500 square feet to-day. New homes, meanwhile, now routinely
feature a gamut of energy-intensive conveniences, such as outdoor
kitchens, professional-sized appliances and heated towel racks.
country. Even as average household size has declined, the size of the
average house has ballooned. It was 1,000 square feet in 1950 and is
nearly 2,500 square feet to-day. New homes, meanwhile, now routinely
feature a gamut of energy-intensive conveniences, such as outdoor
kitchens, professional-sized appliances and heated towel racks.
“… consider what has happened to the American automobile. At
the same time Americans were being presented with ever more compelling
evidence of global climate change, they were also, in ever greater
numbers, purchasing cars like GM's Yukon Denali, which has a
335-horsepower engine, weighs 7,000lb, comes equipped with heated
leather seats, and gets 13 miles to the gallon. On average, passenger
vehicles purchased in the US last year got 21.0 miles to the gallon;
this was a worse gas mileage than the average passenger vehicle got 20
years earlier.”
the same time Americans were being presented with ever more compelling
evidence of global climate change, they were also, in ever greater
numbers, purchasing cars like GM's Yukon Denali, which has a
335-horsepower engine, weighs 7,000lb, comes equipped with heated
leather seats, and gets 13 miles to the gallon. On average, passenger
vehicles purchased in the US last year got 21.0 miles to the gallon;
this was a worse gas mileage than the average passenger vehicle got 20
years earlier.”
A lot of my American friends take great pleasure in being able to tell me that they don't care about gas prices. Their view: “When prices go past $5 I will still be buying gas, but the poor people wont be able to afford it and the roads will be less crowded, so bring it on…!”
And that is why America will never go green, and the world will go to hell in a handbasket before America will change.