Anyone know how much pollution is created making a new car?
Actually, I was going to ask the list, but I found some stuff online.
*My apologies for more of this peripheral topic, even w/o politics.
I don't care who invented the Internet, without it I wouldn't have the
job that paid for my Triumph. ;-) Thanks, Mr. Cerf et al.*
Anyway, I've wanted to be able to say that driving my Triumph
pollutes less than driving a Miata. I figured once you add up all
the pollution created from manufacturing and distribution, it
far outweighs the extra gas and lots of oil I burn. Plus no A/C,
no CFCs. And my leather seats are biodegradable -- and
clearly biodegrading. <g> Anyway, I'm thinking the
environmental cost of my Triumph should be 1/8th the cost of
driving a new car every 5 years for 40 years, right? Now you
can tell your friends *and* critics: "I'm driving my TR for you
and the health of the planet!"
Here's what I've found. *Disclaimer: I haven't checked sources.*
"A car causes more pollution before it's ever driven than in it's entire
lifetime of driving." (Cradle to the Grave, Umweltund Prognose-Institut
Heidelberg) and http://www.carbusters.ecn.cz/WCFD%20Stats.htm
The Environmental Cost of One Car
Extracting Raw Materials:
26.5 tonnes of waste
922 cubic metres of polluted air
Transporting Raw Materials:
12 litres of crude oil in the ocean
425 million cubic litres of polluted air
Producing the Car:
1.5 tonnes of waste
74 million cubic litres of polluted air
Driving the Car:
18.4 kilos of abrasive waste
1,016 million cubic litres of polluted air
Disposing of the Car:
102 million cubic litres of polluted air
--
Steven Newell
Denver, CO
'62 TR4 enviro-convertible
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