Math problem for Liberals on global warming.?

Question

If cars cause 9.9% of human caused green house gasses world wide, but cars cause 27.6% of the human caused green house gasses in the USA. What would happen if all the people stopped driving cars in the USA and just used bicycles? How much would these green house gasses go down world wide? Hint for liberals, if you are truely concerned about green house gasses and you just concentrate your efforts on USA cars, then you are overlooking over 90% of your so called problem. Or maybe this isn't a world wide problem as they say? It would also hurt the USA economy but I guess that is what Liberals want anyway because they hate the USA for some unexplainable reason.

Looks like I stumped Nickel just by talking his own numbers and putting them into context!

I agree with Ryan that global warming isn't a problem for Liberals to solve. So I hope they all take Ryan's advice and stop trying to solve it. But that wasn't my question.

Answer 1

They are confused. Similar to little children who lie and then can't stop and can't remember what they said etc. When I was a kid they were telling us that because of the way we evil humans abused the Earth, we were all going to perish in a man made ''ice age''. lol

Answer 2

Stop using Liberals as an opposition, or excuse. Even President George Bush sees global warming as a serious challenge. Liberals hating U.S.? I believe there is a freedom of speech there? Just because they have other opinions then you seem to have doesn't mean that they hate the Country. I think you should see more to facts and let people have the opinions they want. And keep the political questions in the right section, not here.

Btw, to those who thinks it is a 'great question':
Did you mean to say that U.S. is responsible for 27.6% of world wide green house gas emissions? If so, you need to say what percentage of U.S. emissions that cars stands for.

If your question was correctly stated you need to say how much of the worlds green house gas emissions that the U.S. is responsible for to make it a complete question.

Answer 3

It's not cars that produce 9.9% of GHG's but road transport in all its forms, cars are a little over 5% of all GHG emissions and a little over 7% of CO2 emissions.

Using the most recent data available (2006) the US produced 24.3% of the total CO2 and GHG emissions worldwide. Not sure where you got the figure of 27.6% from and I would question it's authenticity. Transportation in the US produces 14% of GHG emissions and 19% of CO2 emissions, road trasnport is responsible for 10% of GHG emissions and 14% of CO2 emissions, cars accounting for about half of this total.

Removing all cars from the roads of the US would lead to a 7% reduction in GHG emissions and as the US produces 24.3% of all GHG emissions the global effect would be to reduce emissions by a little under 2%.

Switching to bicycles would help but it's not going to make that big a difference.

Those who are concerned about global warming do not focus their attention just on cars and definitely not just on the US.

As for the economy. Outside of the US there is a much greater awareness of the effects of global warming and the demand for cleaner, greener and better technologies is rising rapidly. Global markets are turning their backs on US goods such as motor vehicles, in favour of Japanese and European models. If the US had followed the rest of the developed world it wouldn't be losing billions in reduced exports and increased imports.

Rather than blaming the liberals for everything I think you should look at the world view of the US. Global warming has been an issue outside the US longer than it's been an issue within the US, the consequence of which is that 92% of the world's population view global warming as a series threat and they are far more advanced when it comes to dealing with it. Many people are angry with the way the US has failed to address global warming and until the US realigns itself with the rest of the world it is going to continue to suffer the consequences.

Answer 4

Well hmm think about this, There are a bunch of countries in this world. We are the mega-country aren't we? What are the percentages of every other country in this world? .1%, .4%? So think about this, we are probably the largest percentage, or at least in the top 5. That's why if we stop adding to green house gasses it'll help the world a lot more than you think.

Answer 5

NOT AT ALL !!! I AM STATING THAT EVERY LITTLE STEPS COUNTS. AND THIS IS A BIG ONE

Actualized figures 2003:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/excel/tbl_statesector.xls
CO2 from transportation (US- all): 1.9 Gt CO2/year
World CO2 emissions: around 25 Gt
that´s around 7%.... huge


I think you simply lack of some concepts yet to understand the mechanisms.
The US has an underperforming automotive sector with a consumption that is twice at least what it could be.

I am personally not against letting the US government "largely help its manufacturer adapt" or even the other extreme "let them die, its the market cleaning".

If the consumption is cut by half, then the plan to produce the ethanol for 20% of the driven miles turns into 40% with the same quantity... logic, isn´it ? This is the multiplication effect.



In what you call liberals are also world specialist of the question... they were not liberals since they strongly support market oriented tools. It´s just they do not support what conservatives do and can´t identify themselves with them.

One of my first prof to criticize the Bush energy policy (if there is one...) is somebody who has a strong belief in market tools nd pushed for liberalization of energy markets worldwide !
But the difference is: he cares about the environment and disseminated green tools which the US now copy with 5-10 years delay !


If you really want to educate yourself about the mitigation schemes, you need to do further readings and all I can do is to help you to provide some further links:

www.postkyoto.com
www.pointcarbon.com

Climate scorecards by country:
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/publications/index.cfm?uNewsID=104300

Answer 6

Well, whatever portion of the 27.6% of the total "Greenhouse Gases" in the USA that are caused by automobiles, including those caused indirectly by remote power generation for electric cars, would stop. That would be a smaller %age amount by far than the whole world. Have to know the %age of cars US cars vs cars in the world.

But the CO2 emitted by those who pedal the bikes and use energy that way would increase rapidly. I do not know of anyone who has made this computation. So the decrease would not be as great as expected.

A good side effect tho would be keeping Congressmen at their work, and not out getting contributions from who knows who!!

And also, cars are not the only internal combustion vehicles and other engines. We'd need to stop power generation by diesels, ships at sea that burn diesel or coal, gasoline lawnmowers, earthmovers using gas or diesel engines, and our truck system would need to halt, as well as diesel trains. We should then too stop heating our houses with electric, coal, oil, or gas. Or even cooking with these. Wood is out!

Just a minor impact on the US economy for a minor effect on world "greenhouse" gases..

And major factor that is being overlooked by the politicians is the political fact that we are pretty fully industrialized, so our emissions are not likely to go up fast, while places like China and India are just starting the fast rise to a car in every garage, and a TV on every table. They are BIG countries, so the potential is for them to override any efforts we make to reduce our emissions. And they will fight any efforts to keep themselves non-polluting; seen that already.

The Liberals do not see worldwide. The look at this country, which is where they have the power to dictate what others may and may not do. It is over here a shortsighted issue of control...who can wave a wand and make the rest jump.

And exacerbated by many many years of Liberal Education and its policies of keeping people from having to think for themselves. And from getting ALL sides of the issues and discussing them.

Prime example right now is the Liberal push to get an amendment to some, any, bill to make it a crime to have "grassroots" political movement, even to talking politics over the fence with your neighbor. or to have discussions like this!!

It keeps getting beaten back through efforts of Conservative organizations, but keeps getting added back in to another bill the next week or two.

Anyhow, the math on what no cars would do is very flawed. depending on the practical alternatives found, which i do not hear presented.

I know it is not practical for me to go out and buy a $25K car that only goes 40 miles and then has to stop for 8 hours to recharge. I could almost make a trip TO the grocery store and then back after 8 hours of sitting around doing nothing.

Of course, I cannot get enough money to afford a $25K new car, so I guess they would have me sit and starve to death...which would add a burst of CO2 to the atmosphere!

Liberals generally have lots of money...but not to be liberal and share with! Only enough to direct other people's lives.

Answer 7

Ah! i'm getting it now. we don't desire coaching, and because 40 seven% of Chicago pupils are illiterate, enable's privatize coaching or do away with altogether. That way, we can sustain with the economies of Japan, China, India, and different factors that could come to dominate the international degree because of the fact individuals are 650 lb., sixty 5 IQ, ignorant settee potatoes. You neo-cons beneficial understand the thank you to repair thangs!

Answer 8

Wha...? When did anyone ever say efforts to combat global warming were exclusive to the US? When did anyone ever overlook the fact that other nations besides the US contribute to global warming? And who exactly said everyone in the US has to stop driving?

Answer 9

I don't see how the global warming problem is a problem for liberals to solve. We all breathe the same air.
Or do you breathe special air designated for your party affiliation?
Who cares

Answer 10

You point out an interesting fact. This global warming debate is nothing but pure politics at work. There is no evidence that man is responsible for this warming trend, and all of the sudden CO2 is our enemy?? I find the entire debate quite comical myself and am amused by all the drones that live by it. What's even more comical is that the self-proclaimed leader and expert is the same idiot who claimed to have invented the Internet - Al Gore.