Re: This is too much...
Originally posted by DJ:<br /> The US is the GREENEST country on the planet.<br />
BTW, when the Brits say green they mean Hydrocarbon Emissions AKA Greenhouse Gasses (GHGs). They call what we generally refer to as emissions, pollutants. Anyway, this is what I call the Emissions DuJour Syndrome. Bascially, the Europeans are concentrating on GHGs as we have always concentrated on more specific pollutants. Our vehicles generally have much lower Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) emissions which has been the emission DuJour for the last 20 years here. Before that we were up in arms about Carbon Monoxide and Hydrocarbons, that's why we have catalytic converters and lead free gasoline (petrol
). Particulate Emissions started to become the newest focus here, but I am seeing a shift to GHGs which is going to cause some interesting conflicts. The fact is that the quickest and cheapest way to reduce GHGs from US vehicles is to switch from gasoline to diesel. Diesels have inherently higher NOx and particulate emissions, although some (but nowhere near all) of that disparity can be improved with various expensive technologies. Diesels are on average around 30% better on fuel (not because the fuel holds slightly more energy, but that is another discussion).<br /><br />Another fact is that the Brits have switched to smaller cars with less power and more diesels for one reason . . . money. It is not because they held a nationwide meeting and decided as a group that they were more concerned about the environment than Americans, it is becasue they pay damn close to $8.00 a gallon for any fuel! It is called taxes, oh and don't get sucked into believing they actually pay any more for the liquid, they just pay more for the right to use it.
<br /><br />The point? Our vehicles are definitely cleaner out the tailpipe, but their vehicles are generally better on fuel. So when DJ says that we are Greener, Nos4r2 just laughs. Back to the "two nations divided by a common language" thing.
