Americans use 50% of petrol!

[strictlybroadband]

I read that 50% of all energy burned for transport is used in America. 5% of the world's population do half of all the driving. It's no wonder they squeal every time the oil price rises... if price keeps rising as it will teach them a hard lesson: greed ain't necessarily good.

[Sam Slater]

When I've been in LA thats all I hear about! "The price of gas" It's like a real big issue over there as nobody walks or uses public transport. Americans are real friendly people and very sociable. On the otherhand they're very ignorant of the rest of the world & only think of their own well being.

People in Europe & Britain are a lot more educated on ecological issue's. At least we've something to be proud of.

Of course, now I've said something positive regarding the UK there will be people contradicting my from all quarters.........lol!

[strictlybroadband]

I've been to LA - also Phoenix, Houston and other car crazy US cities. It's when you see how they live that you realise what "addicted to oil" really means. If the oil dried up, those places would become ghost towns overnight as they're massively spread out with minimal public transport. People think nothing of driving 10 or 20 miles to buy a few groceries.

[c.j.jaxxon]

Unfortunately it's what the US is made of. They say we love our cars and it's true. As many people that take public transportation they wish they had a car. Car means freedom for some reason as well as convenience. With as high as gas has gotten over here it ain't stoppin' too many people from driving and I can't see the end of it. Heck! I catch flack at work because I ride a bike and take the bus to work (they have bike racks in front of them for two). They think that since I make SO much money driving a truck that I'm not suppose to be riding a bike. Well first they don't know my financial situation and second I've been riding a bicycle to work since 2003. And they think I'M crazy for riding a bike. Well he's the only one at work giving me grief as everybody else is on my side because they know gas is high but most of them live too far to ride a bike or they're not near public trans like me.

[Sam Slater]

Lol c.j.

Come to the UK, you're gasoline ain't high at all!

Last time I was in LA I saw 2 14 year old kids put their bikes on the front of a Metro bus & ride about 3 blocks down Ventura!

I mean WTF???!!! They can't ride a bicycle 3 blocks down hill?

Keep up the good work mate....

[c.j.jaxxon]

You ever heard that song "Nobody walks in LA" by Missing Persons? Yeah to us who are used to paying under $2.00 a gallon it's high. I heard y'all are used to paying high prices because it's always been that high. Is that true?

[myson]

c.j.
In the UK, we pay around ?0.96 a litre (give or take a penny or two), that about ?3.37 a gallon (at $1.60 to the ? that's $6.99 a gallon).

But here's something for you in the USA to think about. The USA has about 5% of the global population but pumps out 25% of the global greenhouse gas emmissions (I expect China and India will soon catch up though). By the end of this century, the Icelandic ice field WILL be gone. Even if, globally, we stopped 100% of greenhouse gas emmissions tomorrow (which just isn't going to happen) the reversal would still be too slow to save it. It WILL disappear. In February 2002 the Larsen-B ice shelf in Antartica collapsed releasing 720km3 of ice into the ocean (an area the size of Luxembourg). Antartica is losing 150km3 of ice a year since then. The Gulf Stream (which drives UK/European weather and has global effect on the weather) is slowing down. The deap ocean return stream has already slowed by about 50%. If it stops, major global ice age.

Nevertheless, if ALL countries in the world play their part these climate changes can be slowed down, stopped and, maybe, reversed. But I mean ALL countries.

c.j. I applaud you for playing your own small part !bow!

Myson

[c.j.jaxxon]

Thanx! The small part that it is. When I stop driving to work at first it was because I didn't have far to go and gas prices were getting high. Then my vehicle broke down then I was forced to ride my bike. On top of that I visited the doctor twice last month and had to take a comany physical and got a clean bill of health (my blood pressure is low compared to last year) some of I'm sure bike riding had some effect. So I'm not gonna quit if the price of gas goes down. I still drive on the weekends though and I cry everytime I fill up.

[alicia_fan_uk]

FROM MYSON....

"But here's something for you in the USA to think about. The USA has about 5% of the global population but pumps out 25% of the global greenhouse gas emmissions (I expect China and India will soon catch up though)."


I agree with absolutely everything you say, mate. Shame not everyone thinks like you.

I'd add-in that the USA pumps out c.25% of the emissions.....but how much more would that be if you accounted for all the foreign (ie cheap, exploitative-wage) importing that the US (and the UK, too, remember) enjoys from Mexico, China/Far East etc. In effect, is the 25% not the STARTING POINT of the US' total emissions count...not the final figure? The US cannot simply export the emissions, yet continue to enjoy the products....oh wait, it can - and simply by misusing the terms "globalisation" and "global economy".

Has anyone actually analysed the growth in the emissions in countries like India/China etc and identified how much of that growth is simply because we Westerners have punted out all of our production to these countries? Sure, the populations of those other countries are certainly getting more "Western" in their demand/dis-respect(?) for finite natural resources, but it would be interesting to get more details....


alicia_fan_uk

[jeffhaskeft]

where you get ?3.37 a gallon from it's more like ?4.50 a gallon give or take a few pence.
a gallon is aprox. 4 1/2 litres