Greater is the Bike

On my way home today, I started pondering things about one of today's hottest issues; climate change, and how people like you and me are contributing to it. One thing that struck me was the emphasis that governments place on public transit; they subsidize it, talk about, and make lists of benefits that can be reaped by taking the train or subway to and from work or class. I used to believe that taking the transit was the perfect situation to solving climate change? Isn't 3 hundred people on on train much better than 1 person in one car? Well the answer is it better, but not in the same way I thought. Obviously, the more people take public transit, the better it is for the environment because of reduced emissions but putting more people on a train car also increases the amount of emissions produced (as a result of the added weight => lower fuel economy => more fuel needed => more emissions produced and non-renewable resources used up). It is not so much this one fact that hit me, but the scope of how so many people think they know what climate change is and what causes it where in fact they are just scraping the tip of the iceberg.

Most people believe that driving a Prius is a great way to make up for the emissions they produce; it makes them feel less guilty. They walk around all day long feeling as if driving that car makes them immune to the the labeling of environmentalists and Al Gore. But in reality, driving that Prius means nothing if you leave your computer on overnight, or leave the tap running while you're brushing your teeth, or if you eat exotic fruits and processed meats everyday. Many things that we don't realize affect our ecological footprint actually do, and it is only when we understand these can we really say "I get what climate change is, and I recognize that things I do everyday have a significant impact on it."

I took this quiz and got... 11.3. Man, I feel really guilty because the average footprint for a Canadian is something like... 9. But it must be where I put down 25 - 100 km per week of public transit. I guess taking the subway and train isn't that good after all. Take the quiz now and see how you stack up.

kamster