If you tracked your driving by pounds of carbon produced rather than gallons of gas consumed?

Question

Do you think that you would drive less?

Every gallon of gasoline that is consumed produces about 5 pounds of carbon. In the course of a 40-mile commute, a Ford Exjplorer or GM Yukon throws about a dozen pounds of carbon into the air.

Answer 1

I'm "pro-carbon"

Answer 2

I don't think I would, because I already drive as little as possible, and my main concern related to gas consumption is CO2 emissions.  In fact, I once calculated that my electric scooter creates one-twelfth the CO2 emissions of my Prius.  A comparison of some currently available vehicle emissions to a few in-development vehicles is available at the link below.

Answer 3

Hi Amy - This is somewhat related and ironically I just finished reading - it's from the NYT Magazine and discusses the "costs" of driving...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/magazi...

... and I can't say enough about driving less as an avid cyclist/commuter.  It's changed my whole life for the better in more ways than simply feeling good about reducing my footprint!

Answer 4

No, as this question is based on the same sort of false premises that leads to many commonly held misconceptions about the environment.  Internal combustion engines and their peripheral components operate in accordance with chemical, not nuclear, reactions.  Thus, vehicles with internal combustion engines do not produce any carbon at all.  Rather, they merely convert hydrocarbon fuels to other chemical forms.  Therefore, tracking my my driving by pounds of carbon produced would have no influence on the amount of my driving, as my 14-mpg vehicle does not produce any carbon.