If you’ve been following along with us at
www.halifaxretro.ca, you may have noticed my recent article on
“Green-washing: Companies Washing Hands with Your Green”. It’s a glance into the reality that has inevitably become our modern day “green movement”, and like all good things, has become exploited and utilized to sell, sell, sell.
CBC posted a recent slideshow on the
2009 Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto – otherwise known as a perfect complimentary example of green-washing at it’s finest. In a time when the auto industry has never seemed more desperate for survival, this blatant attempt of manipulation and exploitation is sickening.
Upon scrounging for a solid designated figure for this monstrous calamity, I came up empty handed. The reason being is that the number grows every day it seems. The number is ridiculously staggering – Chrysler alone is awaiting approval for another $1 to $2 billion on top of their existing $4 billion they were approved! Why isn’t this money being spent on restructuring our economy properly instead of producing “green” cars, when the only thing truly green about them is the color they’re painted. It’s outrageous.
What’s more is the fact that on top of utilizing tax payers money, they’re lying to us. I’m a firm believer in the deception that is the “green car”. I mean, sure, everything else being neutral I can believe that driving from Halifax to Moncton in one of these “green” cars may within itself produce less carbon monoxide, greenhouse gasses, etc than let’s say a non-hybrid electric car. But in considering the fuel and waste that went into producing and transporting your shiny new Prius to your doorstep, I can’t be convinced that there is a significant enough difference to justify the cost of the new vehicle or to discard your old one.
A reply on the CBC website regarding the above said slideshow reflects well just some of the oversights in the auto industry:
G.I.T.H wrote (Feb 18th, 2009)
“The *idea* of green cars is good.
In places where electricity and thus hydrogen comes primarily from coal burning power plants, as it does in the US. Then the consumption of fossil fuels is merely relocated.
Coal is a very efficient fuel source with a reported efficiency of upwards of 50%. Energy losses reduce the efficiency of as the electricity is transferred to the end user; losses occur primarily in the form of heat.
More loss of energy occurs at the car thus reducing the start-to-finish efficiency of an electric car to substantially lower than that of a gasoline burning car which is around 30%.
That’s not to mention the harmful effects of batteries which, in an electric or hybrid car last only about 3 years before they must be replaced.
Hydrogen is produced by the electrolysis of water this takes a tremendous amount of energy, once more produced in the US primarily by burning coal. Hydrogen-electric cars have been proven impractical due to loss of energy.
I have referred mostly to the US coal driven energy production primarily because the US represents 10x Canada’s population. Until a truly clean fuel source is developed “green cars” will continue to pollute more than today’s high efficiency gasoline burning cars.”
The government bailout programs and economic crisis is something I’m following closely, especially when it relates to the affects it will have on the environment. Stay tuned as I try to understand more – there’s so much hidden that there’s always a sense of dissatisfaction lingering after every article I read. Here’s hoping someday.
