Don't you think car races casue global warming?

Question

I mean lets drive around in a circle for 500 miles and see what happens.

Answer 1

car races are cultural dillusion, But how about transecting globe with highways full of hot engines and catalytic converters over 500 degrees hot ? its like a global heater blanket. This has more effect than any news has mentioned . Most of the world is darn worried, The rest are in denial (in a lincon Denali) I ride a bike (dangerous)

Answer 2

Race car races such as Nascar do emit carbon dioxide as they are using gasoline and can create a tremendous amount of heat therefore using more gasoline. In addition they are traveling at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour for up to 500 laps. Car races however have a strong fan base and there overall impact is super small.

Answer 3

They contribute to it but then so do a great number of other things.

We don't necessarily have to ban or reduce doing the tings we enjoy. If the organisers or sponsors of such events invested a small amount of the profits in carbon offsetting then the fans and participants could continue to enjoy the events and the whole thing could be carbon neutral or even carbon negative.

Answer 4

Yes and no. Any use of fossil fuels contributes to increased global pollution. However the racing industry has been responsible for many of the fuel saving innovations that we now take for granted.

To be honest, a way to find a middle ground would be to stop making auto races something you can go to, and just televise them. People still get to watch, but you avoid the huge transport cost of moving that many people to a racetrack. And the racing and innovations would continue.

However, the same thing could be said of any mass gathering of people such as concerts, theater, sporting events, or festivals. Public events that are essential for the proper functioning of any society.

Answer 5

One of the traditional failing points of environmental movements is an alienation of those people it needs the most. Getting someone of the minority of people who already conserve and have a modest appreciation of the environment, to do a little more, is not much of an achievement. However, if you convert, slowly but surely, those who generally have little regard for the environment, then THAT is a HUGE accomplishment.

Now, I'm not a fan of NASCAR, but then, I'm not a fan of a lot of sports: futbol/soccer, golf (as a spectator that is), bowling, etc. However, I have an appreciation of all sports; they are a celebration of differing human abilities and as such, elevate all of our lives vicariously from the reality that, individually, each of us has a relatively limited set of abilities.

NASCAR appeals to many with an automotive/mechanical interest. The sport itself involves optimizing a machine in direct competition with others trying to optimize their machines, adhering to a set of mechanical restrictions/parameters. Their engines produce more power proportionate to fuel consumption than their more economic street counterparts. Weight-saving materials, aerodynamic bodies, ground effects...there is little doubt that these technologies lead to better vehicles for the rest of us.

Getting the spectator excited about that technology is a beneficial thing. How big of a deal would it be if you got a few hundred thousand people to trade in their gasoline burning pickups (with MPG range in the teens) for a pickup that is just as powerful, but uses E85? I'd say it's a lot more than getting someone to trade their Sentra for a Prius. Check this out:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/new...
FlexFuel-branded Chevrolet Silverado pickups will serve as the pace vehicles at Daytona and 10 other races on the 25-race NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

The effort is part of GM's "Live Green Go Yellow" initiative, which was launched last month and is designed to showcase GM's E85 FlexFuel vehicles. GM said the pace vehicles are among about 400,000 E85 vehicles that GM will produce this year.

And Bob is right about the spectators burning up far more fuel than the racers. Do we get rid of all of them, or just those that don't appeal to whoever happens to be "in control"?

Be patient. Accept the small changes. Bend over backwards to attract those who usually don't bother to listen to your cause, instead of belittling them.

Answer 6

No more than any spectator sport. The global warming impacts come almost entirely from spectators traveling to the event.

Want to ban baseball, football, soccer, rock concerts, etc.?

Answer 7

my race car gets 20 gallons to the mile- not miles per gallon.

5 gallons of 110 octane leaded go-go juice every 1/4 mile!

talk about heaven on earth!

you guys should try it.

Answer 8

You cause global warming by breathing. With every breath you take, you are emitting CO2 emissions.

Answer 9

Off course it does, the fumes from the exhaust of cars contain dangerous chemicals........Besides wats d use of the game? its neva made any sense 2 me.

Answer 10

Yes. Car racing is a waste of time money & resources.