Europeans have more cars than Americans, per head
Max Fisher at the Atlantic wrote a piece - that my colleague and friend Eric Hesse forwarded to me - about how western Europeans have more cars per adult than Americans do.
This is, possibly, surprising news. I knew this to be true for Germany, so was not completely surprised. But that it holds true in a widespread fashion, is certainly news. BTW the Atlantic piece was based on a Carnegie Endowment report.
Its good news.
The author of the Atlantic piece asked the right question - why do Europeans have more cars, yet consume much less energy than Americans, per capita? He did not have an answer.
The answer is the good news. Europeans drive a lot less. They take public transportation, walk and ride their bicycles. The problem, it turns out, is not just the ownership of the vehicle, but its usage. Its alright to have that car, parked outside your home for the occasional use. Just don’t drive for every trip, all the time. Thats how David 1 becomes David 2.
PS: Brilliant photoshopped image from here.
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takingthecaroutofcarbon posted this
