"Mark Weaver" wrote in message
...
I think you check, you'll find that the US is ahead of the most of the
world
in environmental protection (with the notable exception of Kyoto).
ACK - compared to most of the world including third world countries but not
compared to industrial countries in Europe
We don't
have all the dirty, particulate-spewing diesel-powered passenger cars.
Diesel particles are no major environmental issue, filters / catalytic
converters are on the way and modern engines aren't that dirty. And from an
efficiency point of view diesel engines are much better. Just go and check
fuel efficiency of current Mercedes CDI or Volkswagen/Audi TDI engines and
you get the picture. 40-50 miles per gallon are no marketing hype - they are
real and achieveable under normal circumstances.
Fuel is still very, very cheap in the US so nobody cares about efficiency.
Our
cars are not fuel efficient on average but they're clean -- in the rest of
the world they may be more efficient but they're dirtier.
? I have traveled most countries of Europe and have been several times to
the US and my perceived impression quite different. (Except if you compare
the US to 3rd world countries).
I agree that most cars in the US are modern clean but inefficient cars but
there are many old / unmaintained cars on the road which pollute the air.
You won't find that number here in Europe (cars have to go to emisison check
every 2 years in Germany and similar regulations exist throughout Europe).
For example,
catalytic converters were introduced in the US in 1974 but weren't
required
by law in Europe until 1993:
http://www.uyseg.org/catalysis/catalytic/cat1.htm
Introduced does not mean required. You are comparing apples & oranges here.
What was the real deployment rate of converters? And are people forced to
maintain them? Are public / army vehicles required to have converters? I
remember that most waste management and army cars blow huge black clouds!
And, in fact, the US environment is far cleaner than it used to be.
Still not as good as it could be. One major problem I see is the throw-away
lifestyle.
IMHO the US has an advanced economy but is far behind in environmental
protection. US should start with signing Kyoto. And probably stop using
plastic/foam for throw-away stuff like coffee cups & burger wrappers (paper
works, too).