If Global Warming wasn't the issue??

Question

If you strip away all the global warming talk and factor on OTHER reasons why we should all go cleaner would that change anyones mind? Forget about al gore, and his movie.

Just think of how much Cash you would save if you used less gas. Or that if we have the technology then what would it hurt to just be cleaner.

Incidently, thats how a friend of mine got his boss to get a better fuel economy truck. He didn't care two bits about global warming, but when my friend told him he would save upwards of 10K a year he jumped right on it.

Answer 1

I have no problem with it.  But I don't make the cars.  I use my bike alot and an energy efficient car.  I would have got a thriftier one except they start to price them out of range.  

  Also, in production producing CO2 - a hummer is more friendlier to the environment than the hybrids..

Answer 2

Why do people think that the only way you can care about the environment or care about saving money is to buy into the pseudo science of global warming?

AGW isn't happening.  The Earth has as much change of being colder 5 years from now as it does being warmer.  Anyone that states otherwise is just guessing.

Not buying into the dogma doesn't prevent one from reusing, reducing, and recycling.

Answer 3

I was surprised to hear recently that global warming actually isn't much of an issue politically yet.  It's reportedly not in the top 10 list for Presidential candidates.

Clean air for example is even further down the list.  Look at what Senator ("400 skeptics") Inhofe is proposing to weaken the Clean Air Act with "Clear Skies":

- Allows 42 million more tons of pollution emitted than the EPA proposal.

- Weakens controls on mercury pollution levels compared to what would be achieved by enforcing the Clean Air Act stringently.

- Weakens the current cap on nitrogen oxide pollution levels from 1.25 million tons to 2.1 million tons, allowing 68 % more NOx pollution.

- Delays the improvement of sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution levels compared to the Clean Air Act requirements.

- Delays enforcement of smog-and-soot pollution standards until 2015.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Skies...

To use round numbers if the average car gets 20MPG that's 500 gallons per 10,000 miles, so drive 20k per year and you spend $3000 total.  Get a car with 25% better mileage and you save $750.  Your friend's boss must drive several hundred thousand miles per year.  I wonder how he finds time to stop for gas.

The argument for efficiency will look a lot different of course as gas approaches $30/gallon.  Gasoline went up 10X in price in the past 35 years, and it'll probably do that again in far less time as auto numbers skyrocket (thanks to China, India, etc) and as we more rapidly draw down remaining reserves.  No one will have to argue about SUVs; they'll just be gone by choice.

Answer 4

Do not forget all the pollution coal power plants produce.

Currently Global Warming is a politically tense issue, but who is going to argue against cleaner air?

Answer 5

Very interesting question and a good point! Whether or not global warning is as iminent as you hear, there are legitimate arguments of why we should do things cleaner

Check out the Penn & Teller's Bull---t episode debating global warming...very interesting, but one sided :)

Part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=1-qu_0KlMvw

Part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=zUp6STGJBwc

Part 3: http://youtube.com/watch?v=C4uEMMg_YOE

Answer 6

ENERGY PRICES WILL INCREASE ANYWAY (due to the demand).

We can pay a higher price for energy for good reasons (clean air, self reliance, domestic jobs, increased technology), or...

We can pay a higher energy price for bad reasons (short supply to demand, geopolitic instability, huge profits from oil producers and sheiks, huge profit for oil companies)

Answer 7

You make an excellent point!  Approaching the issue (a cleaner environment) without getting into the 'Global Warming' theme makes sense..... especially to those of us who remember some of these same 'scientists' trying to scare the Be-geezus out of us with the 1970's 'Ice-Age-Is-A-Coming' and 'we're-all-gonna-die' nonsense.  Some of us are STILL waiting for an apology for that one.