Americans represent 5 percent of the world's population but drive almost a third of its cars, which in turn account for nearly half the carbon dioxide pumped out of exhaust pipes into the atmosphere each year, according to a report.
US cars play a disproportionate role in global warming because they are less fuel efficient than passenger vehicles used elsewhere in the world, emitting 15 percent more carbon dioxide, and because they are driven further across the US' wide open spaces, said the report by the Environmental Defense watchdog group.
Americans drive 202 million passenger vehicles out of 683 million worldwide. The average US passenger vehicle, with a fuel economy of less than 32kpg, travels 17,700km a year, nearly a third more than cars elsewhere, according to Wednesday's report, "Global Warming on the Road."
With suburban sprawl outpacing the growth of public transport networks, Americans are commuting more, shopping more and driving further to the shops. Between 1990 and 2001 the number of miles traveled on US shopping trips rose by 40 percent.
The boom in sports utility vehicles (SUVs) has peaked as a result of soaring fuel prices, but overall US fuel consumption will continue to rise in the next few years, the study found.
The huge Hummers, Chevrolet Suburbans and Ford Excursions bought in recent years will represent a bigger share of the cars on the road, as older, smaller cars end up on the scrapheap.
More SUVs are sold in the US than any other type of car, overtaking small cars in 2002. The report predicted that they "soon will be the main source of automotive CO2 emissions," emitting the equivalent of 55 large coal-fired power plants.
"The fuel economy of US vehicles has been declining since 1988, which means the CO2 emissions have been increasing, associated with a shift to large trucks," said John DeCicco, one of the report's authors.
While cars account for a tenth of greenhouse gas emissions around the world, US cars are responsible for 20 percent of US energy-related emissions. The Environmental Defense report found: "The amount of CO2 emitted from oil used for transportation in the United States is similar to the amount from coal used to generate electricity."
General Motors (GM), the biggest US car manufacturer, is responsible for nearly a third of those emissions, more than the biggest US power company, American Electric Power. GM and other car companies did not comment directly on the report, but noted that they were seeking to improve the energy efficiency and reduce the emissions of their fleets.
DeCicco argues that far more stringent measures are needed, including a national cap on carbon emissions and a trading system that would allow companies that made more efficient cars to sell their carbon emissions rights to other firms. He also suggested that local authorities should be given financial credits for innovations that lead residents to drive less, providing better public transport or building shops closer to where people live.
The report also urges a rapid transition to fuels containing less carbon, like ethanol.
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
Tropical Storm Koto killed three people and left another missing as it approached Vietnam, authorities said yesterday, as strong winds and high seas buffeted vessels off the country’s flood-hit central coast. Heavy rains have lashed Vietnam’s middle belt in recent weeks, flooding historic sites and popular holiday destinations, and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Authorities ordered boats to shore and diverted dozens of flights as Koto whipped up huge waves and dangerous winds, state media reported. Two vessels sank in the rough seas, a fishing boat in Khanh Hoa province and a smaller raft in Lam Dong, according to the
‘HEART IS ACHING’: Lee appeared to baffle many when he said he had never heard of six South Koreans being held in North Korea, drawing criticism from the families South Korean President Lee Jae-myung yesterday said he was weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December last year. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with Pyongyang. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top
The Philippines deferred the awarding of a project that is part of a plan to build one of the world’s longest marine bridges after local opposition over the potential involvement of a Chinese company due to national security fears. The proposals are “undergoing thorough review” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which acts as a lender and an overseer of the project to ensure it meets international environmental and governance standards, the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways said in a statement on Monday in response to queries from Bloomberg. The agency said it would announce the winning bidder once ADB
RSS