· Hummers and SUVs blamed for high emissions
· Average US car does less than 20mpg, says study
Julian Borger in Washington
Thursday June 29, 2006
The Guardian
Americans represent
5% of the world's population but drive almost a third of its cars, which in turn account for nearly half the carbon dioxide pumped out of exhaust pipes into the atmosphere each year, according to a report.
US cars play a disproportionate role in global warming because they are less fuel efficient than passenger vehicles used elsewhere in the world, emitting 15% more carbon dioxide, and because they are driven further across America's wide open spaces, said the report by the Environmental Defence watchdog group.
Americans drive 202m passenger vehicles out of 683m worldwide. The average US passenger vehicle, with a fuel economy of less than 20mpg, travels 11,000 miles a year, nearly a third more than cars elsewhere, according to Wednesday's report, Global Warming on the Road.
With suburban sprawl far outpacing the growth of public transport networks, Americans are commuting more each year, shopping more, and driving further to the shops each time. Between 1990 and 2001 the number of miles travelled on American shopping trips rose by 40%.
The boom in sports utility vehicles (SUVs) has peaked as a result of soaring fuel prices, but overall US fuel consumption will continue to rise in the next few years, the study found.
The huge Hummers, Chevrolet Suburbans and Ford Excursions bought in recent years will represent a bigger share of the cars on the road, as older, smaller cars end up on the scrapheap.>>>>snip
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1808314,00.html?gusrc=rss
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