Be prepared

My "Toorak Tractor" uses less fuel than a Commodore according to the Government's Greenguide website.

I didn't notice any mention of the Toorak Tractor in the article.?

I guess it is all a sign of what we know will have to come one day.

Cheers,
Fazz

I have wondered about this sort of thing with all the climate change talk lately. I wonder if drivers of older vehicles will be penalised. As an owner of an older vehicle with plenty of life left in it that is a little concerning. I have considered things like diesel gas but will wait to see what the rules/penalties will be.

Serg,

I reckon sitting around a campfire with you and Doug T and a couple of bottles of vodka, we could solve the world's problems.

First we would have to make it legal to shoot greenies...

I normally stay away from these types of discussions because the issues are so complex that it is difficult to form any reasonable position. What the article discusses is the introduction of a carbon trading scheme (already in place at the industrial level in many countries) down to a personal level because, depending on whose figures you believe, about 40% of greenhouse gas emissions occur at the household level.

In principle, I support such an initiative for several reasons, the main one being that you are given a choice in how you will use your carbon allocation rather than trying to apply a blanket rule that tries to fit all. Already on this thread you will see much discussion of which vehicle emits more greenhouse gases but to an extent it is an irrelevant argument, rather it is the usage patterns of these vehicles that determines how much they emit.
Here is a bold statement for you. My 4.5 litre petrol Landcruiser emits less carbon than my neighbour’s Prius. What magic is this, I hear you ask? Simple, I use it a hell of a lot less. Its mere existence does not cause the emission of greenhouse gases, rather it is my use of it that does. My car is 14 years old and shows no signs of letting up yet (Landcruiser wink here), but my neighbours Prius will likely be moved on in a couple of years when the next trendy number hits the market or when the batteries (which are about half the value of the car) wear out. People across the road own a Commodore and drive it to the shops (five minute walk) EVERY time they go. Guy around the corner has a Camry and drives it to work EVERY day despite the fact that he is connected to work by an excellent set of bicycle paths.

So what a personal carbon trading scheme allows each of us to do, in theory at least, is decide how we use (or sell) our allotted carbon credits each year. I get to keep the Cruiser; Commodore guy learns to walk to the shops or has to buy my extra credits at a tidy profit to me and arguments about whose car emits the most are largely irrelevant. If Commodore guy decides that walking is too much or Camry guy can’t ride a pushbike, then they trade their vehicle in for a more economical one and the environment is still a winner.

Good theory, but! Those of us living in the major centres have (arguably) reasonable access to public transport, can ride a bike to work and walk to the shops but none of this helps those in the regional areas who rely on their vehicles in the absence of these options. What about the many folk who use their vehicles for work? Again, we need to be careful about blind blanket rules which satisfy the conscience of the environmental zealots but really hurt others. I still think such a scheme can work if applied carefully, but it needs to be thought through by some clever people rather than those who stand up and publicly cloak themselves in environmental righteousness and damn the rest.

I am not a Canberra native, and have only lived here for four years. But one of the first things that strikes you about this city is that it lends itself to an excellent, efficient public transport system. But look at any of the major Government buildings during the week and you will see that they are surrounded by acres and acres of car parks and they are all chokkas! There was a thread on here recently about a car tax for driving into the Sydney CBD which caused some Exploroz style discussion. Why not close the city to all but commercial vehicles altogether? It makes good sense on one level. The reason why we can’t do it is that public transport systems are inadequate to cope with the needs of such a mass of people. So if you want to encourage people to change their habits and usage patterns, then we must invest in the infrastructure and services that allow people to make the changes needed. Canberra, as the ‘hub’ of national power, would be a good place to start and set an example of how it needs to be done.

It irritates me that we the public are made to feel that the problem lies with us (and so it does, but in concert with our elected representatives) and that the 4WD community in particular takes a hammering. But this is a simplistic view which ignores the fact that many of us contribute less to global warming than those who think that buying a new economical car, then using it badly, can soothe their conscience.

In any case, the 'Toorak Tractor' crowd will have to pay BIG for my spare carbon credits.

Cheers,

Matt.

Hey KSV; you should emigrate, go live Chernoble.They have much plenty nuclear electricity there. You will really love place, they also got radioactive cows. Wow!! Absolute heaven for person of your advanced grasp on reality.

our sounding a bit hysterical sonny. Time to take another pill; and not the GREEN one this time.

Theres no fool like a misinformed fool .

Follow This Link to a blog done by an Aussie guy about CO2 emissions, very interesting. There is also a lot of other interesting blogs on his site as well if you like/have time to sit and read.

Cheers