[Greenbuilding] Tata, funny name, un funny topic.

[Kirsten A Flynn]

I think the main point, and why eco freaks like me have our knickers  
in a twist over this car, has little to do with whether it is more or  
less efficient than a Prius.  The thing that frightens me is that if  
even a fraction of Indians and Chinese can afford this car, even if it  
is micro emissions, we are in deep (methane producing) poop.

The car based North American lifestyle produces a lot more carbon than  
a more "primitive" lifestyle currently existing in other countries  
especially China and India.  These two continents also have tremendous  
population, many of whom have now been exposed to the idea of Western  
affluence.  (infected with Affluenza)  A recent survey of Chinese  
youth found that they were very interested in living a green  
lifestyle, but 84% wanted to get a car first.  I am sure this would be  
true in India also.

This cheap car removes one barrier to these increasingly urbanized,   
and enormous populations starting to approach western levels of carbon  
emissions.  Yikes.

Lets get a grip on population.  Every citizen of North America, added  
to every citizen of the EU,  added to every citizen of South America  
could each and every one of them find a friend in China.  Yikes.

Now this is of course a touchy subject, as we have seen at Kyoto, in  
Bali, and even in the rhetoric of GWB.  Can we make the developing  
nations cap when we are the "carbon sinners"?  Is it fair to try and  
regulate a country that is just trying to achieve the health and  
quality of life for it's citizens that we already have?  I don't know  
the solutions, and I am not running for public office (thank god).   
But I am freaked out about cars that are affordable to everyone.

Kirsten A Flynn
Sustainable Home
www.sustainablehome.com
650-855-9476




On Jan 12, 2008, at 4:49 PM, John Porterfield wrote:

> Re: Tata reveals the world's cheapest car (Bob Korves), and responses