I came across this on Blue Oregon, aboutethanol and the need for real emission reformm
Russel sadler says:
Vehicle emissions make up a large share of the greenhouse gases creating climate change. Reducing them quickly will be the hardest task because the choices are politically unpalatable. And biofuels will only play a symbolic role.
This looks to be pretty senisble to me, at least until second generation fuels come along. Russel adds:
To begin to have any serious effect on climate change, the people who think seriously about these things say American transportation fuel efficiency must double over the next two or three decades.
At least double, set a 40mpg target for all the models in a car maker's range by 2020 and 35 by 2010. Don't use the average across the range. To return to Russel's point about efficiecny.
That cannot happen without a combination of government regulations and market “price signals”-- meaning a large tax on fuel to discourage driving inefficient vehicles and unnecessary trips. It means individuals will have to make serious choices about paying more for hybrids, small cars and trucks, electric vehicles, short drives or using public transportation -- all the things that American automobile advertising and Dick Cheney have deliberately stigmatized.
And that’s why so many politicians are yapping about ethanol. It’s a diversion. Are the rest of us going to let them get away with it or tell them to get down to the real work?
Because it will be a big job to move the argument into those areas. But if they don't...