Smog to cause more deaths in Canada
Posted by DavidM in Pollution | 21 August 2006
Saskboy highlights reports in Canada that unless something changes, smog is likely to lead to more deaths in the future. No surprise there.
He outlines some suggestions for resolving this.
1. By 2009 car manufacturers should be building 1 in 3 cars as electric
I don't think you can simply mandate this but I agree that car manufacturers should be pushed to make increasingly efficient vehicles. My approach would be to set a minimum of 30 mpg for new cars in three years time, rising by 3 mpg per year thereafter. This gives car makers a chance to plan their R&D and you can still buy a Rolls Royce - it just has to meet the minimum efficiency level.
2. New buildings to be net zero energy users.
Good idea.
3. Develop third world counties to reduce use of wood burning.
Personally I think we should look to ourselves first. We have the technology and money to make an enormous difference yet still pump out enormous amounts of pollution and waste scarce resources. Also, China shows that development in itself can actually lead to more pollution. We should lead the way then help developing nations grow without consuming substantially more.
Thanks for an interesting article Saskboy. It's the kind of debate that needs to happen, but more importantly we now need to see more action.
Comments
Thanks for linking to my thoughts. Feel free to leave a trackback. Ask if you don't know how to do that.
There are economic factors that don't translate into a healthy environment if government doesn't impose legislation on some sectors that are raping the land for their bottom lines. Auto dealers are included in this group. The "news" of the Camero making a comeback is worrying indeed, unless they plan to use a 30MPG+ engine in it.
