Wanlock Dod wrote:thirdcrank wrote:I should have added that I have no way of knowing if this is a genuine concern or just another shock horror tale.
When I reflect on all the various culprits that have been identified over the last couple of years as the real cause behind the air pollution problems that we have in pretty much any urban area I can't help but feel that whatever is being put forward currently as the real source of the problem probably isn't going to solve things because ultimately the problem is probably more about too many people choosing to drive in town centres than it is about how or what they drive.
Agreed,its the sheer number of ice powered vehicles in towns and cities that'sthe problem.
The current interest in diesel as the sauce of all evil is, in my view, aimed at least as much at selling more cars into a market that is otherwise just about saturated. People don't need any more cars, but they might be persuaded into buying one that runs on an alternative fuel, and that will work out much more lucrative for the motor industry than if people were to hang on to their diesel cars and use busses and bikes a bit more. There might even be some modest gains from an air pollution perspective, but I'm sure we will be in a rather similar situation in a decades time still looking for some kind of fix for the traffic problems that we have in our town centres.
I again agree consumerism relies on continual consuming and at higher and more profit making,car sales is a large part ofmthat system,more cars more roads more roads more cars.At some poimt it has to stop but by then we'll have all either choked and croaked or be such a burden on the NHS it will collapse unde rthe strain.
There is of course another way(dare I say road) to do this movement of people but the profit margins are much less