ShinerBock wrote:
John & Angela wrote:
ShinerBock wrote:
Funny part is, a lot of the air pollution in the west coast and LA area was NOT from diesels or any other automotive emissions like many have thought over the years. Recent finding show that a lot of pollution comes over from China(who pollutes way more than the US) in the jet stream and the Rockies keep it in the west coast. Compound that with the vehicle emissions and you have an air pollution disaster.
California has no choice but to have a more stringent smog regulation for vehicles because it is not like they can tell China or India to quit producing so much pollution. So they had to lower it the only way they could. Unfortunately for the rest of the country who don't live in areas like California where automotive emissions to be such a problem, we also have to live with their stringent regulation because California is such a big state with a lot of vehicles sales so it would only make sense economically for vehicle makes to cater to their emissions requirements. If California had a much smaller population and did not have as big of an automotive market, then I doubt the vehicles manufacturers would have made vehicles specifically for the California emissions. Of course now all states have to abide this because federal emissions regulations now mirror California's regardless if that state has the same smog issues or not.
As far as diesels going the way of the dodo, I don't think it is happening anytime soon. Maybe in the small gas saver car market, but not in the load hauling truck market. It is not just about how much torque a diesel produces, but also when that torque is produced that also helps it move a load and put you at an rpm where you are creating enough HP to go a certain speed.
Well, yes, china produces more pollution than the US, but only because they have three and a half times the people. Per person the chinese produce less than half of what an American or Canadian does. WE ARE THE PIGS OF THE PLANET. No one is really even close. The average european home uses half the electricity we do. Distances are shorter so yah they use less fuel too.
The smog of the 70's in LA was from cars in LA. California emission standards vastly improved that. The move to electric vehicles will improve that more.
"WE ARE THE PIGS OF THE PLANET."
When it comes to air pollution, the facts prove that incorrect. In fact, we are not even close to being the worst.
Every country has terrible air pollution, but these are the world’s worst
Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map
You may have misunderstood my post. PER CAPITA (per person) we are the pigs of the planet. The four worst offender are Australia, The USA, Saudi Arabia and Canada in no particular order. China produces a third (per capita) of what the USA produces. India barely registers.
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/each-countrys-share-of-co2.html#.WIYi8RsrI2w
