Monday, December 20, 2010

High Speed Rail Saving the World

4. A Major step toward solving global warming by reducing our oil consumption and emissions
  --OK, first of all, one has to actually believe that global warming/climate change/whatever term is fashionable today is really occurring. We have to actually believe the changes that are occurring are not the natural cycle of the planet. Then we have to really believe that building and riding a train will save the world. Train travel is heavily used in China and they are the world’s largest producer of CO2 emissions. India is also a heavy user of trains and they produce CO2 in VAST quantities. And before you say “just because they have issues doesn’t mean we can’t do our part”, try a different tact with me. I don’t believe in man-made global warming and most Americans don’t believe it either (you shouldn’t of had that snake oil salesman, OwlGore, as your spokesman). But if you say it will save resources without all the preaching, I’m down with that. I like saving money as much as the next guy and I like doing my part to make things better.  Heck, I recycle like the dickens. Train travel does save resources, if it is used near capacity.  A train traveling 200MPH to LA sucks down the gas, so to make it efficiently; it needs to have passengers to bring the cost per energy unit used below a car traveling the same distance.  An empty train doesn’t save resources.

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