> In my view, the best way to reduce energy consumption
> while retaining individual cars would be to convince
> people to have a more sensible requirements. People
> are buying massive, overpowered cars ostensibly
> designed for off-road use to drive a few miles to and
> from work everyday. Car manufacturers have been
> competing to sell cars with more and more power that
> almost nobody needs. Clearly companies are trying to
> create artificial needs: witness the TV commercial
> slogan that promises that a new truck is, "Not more
> than you need, just more than you're used to."
>
> -Alex
>
>
Oh Baby! Sooo hot! So... threateningly sensual, like a good car ad should be.
FWIW:
BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND POTENTIAL FOR MORE
Lehman, Philip K
Abstract:
[...]
THE IMPACT OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR ON THE ENVIRONMENT
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4032/is_200404/ai_n9383769/print
Over the past 100 years the earth's human population has increased from approximately 1.5 billion in 1900 to 6.3 billion in 2003 (Brown & Flavin, 1999; Cohen, 2003). At the same time, technology has changed the lives of many, making us more mobile, more comfortable and more efficient consumers. The United Nations has projected that the global population will reach 8.9 billion by 2050 (United Nations, 2002). This projected increase of 2.6 billion people is more than the entire population of the world in 1950 (2.5 billion) (Cohen, 2003). The limits of the earth's carrying capacity are relatively unknown, and it is possible that it will be overwhelmed (Oskamp, 2000; Winter, 1996).
Even at today's population level, many of our current practices are not sustainable, meaning the consequences of our actions and limitations of resources will make it impossible to conduct business as usual for future generations. The bottom line is that all human inhabitants of the earth require its resources to meet their basic needs of water, food and shelter. And many of us require substantially more to meet our perceived needs of comfort, convenience and transportation.
There are consequences to meeting each of these needs that extend beyond resource depletion. Most of what we do and consume requires energy, which we generate by burning fossil fuels. Extracting, processing, transporting and burning fossil fuels produces pollution and negatively impacts natural environments. Many of the products we produce by burning fossil fuels are used briefly, and then discarded, which leads to additional problems of waste and pollution. Although a thorough review of the environmental crisis is beyond the scope of this paper, some of the most serious threats are outlined below.
[More... Long] http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4032/is_200404/ai_n9383769/print
Leigh www.leighm.net
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