Sweet Car + IPCC = Annoyed Rant

Erin might kill me for going off on a tangent, but maybe I can forestall some of her wrath by promising that I won't go on another rant like this... for at least a few weeks. ;-)

The issue at hand started with a car company in India introducing a revolutionary new car, the Tata Nano, due out in July. This car is incredible. It has very few features - no A/C, no radio, no airbag, low horse-power... but the tiny thing seats 5 people (barely), gets over 50 mpg in the city (60+ on the highway), and amazingly costs less than $2000. Seriously.

The car is being sold in India and is targeted to the population who rides mostly on motorbikes; entire families squeezing onto a single motorcycle, with babies and children being clutched close as they weave in an out of traffic. The Nano will finally give a huge market of Indians a safer way to travel that is still affordable and gives them a huge amount of personal pride. What a wonderful development.




At least, I think it's wonderful. Rajendra Pachauri doesn't seem to think so. Dr. Pachauri, from India, is an economist and chairman of the glorious (pardon the sarcasm) IPCC, he (representing the IPCC) was co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 along with Public Enemy Hypocrite #1, Al Gore.

You'd think Dr. Pachauri would be happy for his fellow Indians to progress, to be able to provide safety and pride for their families. Instead the 'scientist' says he has nightmares about the car. Bad experience with the iPod Nano causing bizarre trauma and a desperate need for counseling??? Nope, he's terrified about the carbon emissions that this development will cause.

Let's not mention the fact that man-made global warming is a fallacy and that CO2 emissions have never been shown to have any real effect on the global climate... let's ignore that for now. Dr. Pachauri works for the UN, he travels frequently, lives lavishly, and gets paid extremely well. I have no idea what kind of car he drives, but I can bet it doesn't get between 50-60 mpg. Would Rajendra be willing to transport his family through the streets of a big city on an old motorbike? I think not, but he has nightmares about other people not having to do so.

Dr. Pachauri is a perfect reflection of Al Gore; they both profess to believe the world is headed into the toilet due to man-made global warming (more likely they have personal financial reasons, you know - their jobs, to promote the deception). However both of them are willing to let third-world citizens suffer in poverty to prevent man-made global warming and they refuse to change their own lavish lifestyles. I don't have details on Pachauri, but Al Gore's Tennessee home results in 22 times as much CO2 emissions as the average American household. And that doesn't take into account his other two homes, his multiple cars, his entourage, and his frequent travel (often via private jet). I can't imagine that Al's good buddy Rajendra lives too differently.

The hypocrisy just drives me nuts, that these wealthy people who could retire in luxury today if they wanted to, are so strongly against the poverty stricken in India getting a small hand up. To give you a rough idea... it would take about 300 of the new Tata Nanos on the streets of India to equal the CO2 emissions of Al Gore's first home (again, not counting his two other homes, his cars, his entourage, and all of his flights - by the way, one hour in an average private jet is equal to approximately one year in an average American car). That's 300 families who will be traveling a lot safer and holding their heads a little higher.

Crazy hypocrites aside, I am very pleased to see the developments in India. This release may provide inspiration and motivation for auto-makers the world over to re-think their current market plans. It may also inspire many people in first world countries to reconsider whether they actually need all the expensive gadgets in their cars/homes. I, myself have taken a few moments to rethink my auto-lifestyle... and I've confirmed that I do indeed need automatic doors, power steering, and an iPod connection in my gas-guzzling minivan. But that's just me.

More reading (you made it this far, why not continue?):

Hypocrisy

Gore's Home

Gore vs. Bush?

Labels: politics

posted by Brett at 5:45 PM