Lomborg at it again

Electric car benefits? Just myths

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/02/18/electric-car-benefits-air-myths-pollution-health-column/23641729/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Makes the usual mistakes of assuming a 1:1 relationship between kWh used by EVs and emissions at the plant, ignores that as opposed to gas cars, EVs can be powered by renewables.

The worst is that in the life cycle analysis of gas cars it doesn't take into account extraction, refining and transport of gas.

Is this guy smart, stupid, or bought?!

I'd like to see a weighted average of emissions by where EVs are combined with the mix of electricity generation in those locations -- including home solar, if that were possible. Nationwide and worldwide. There'd be no comparison with gasoline/petroleum in that case. Plus, just moving emissions to centralized, non-urban areas has its own benefits even if they were equal. The grid is only going to get cleaner moving forward, but I'm "pretty sure" the efficiency of ICEs has plateaued. (And on and on.)

This guy bugs me because he could be doing a lot more good, given his background. Oh, on looking at it now though, I sort of take that back: his academic background is much more in politics than environmental sciences (than I and maybe many realized). He's also lectured in statistics, and you know what Mark Twain* said about statistics, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." (LOL)


* Or was it Benjamin Disraeli, or any number of others? Twain was not the first, in any case.

Alric said:

Electric car benefits? Just myths

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/02/18/electric-car-benefits-air-myths-pollution-health-column/23641729/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Makes the usually mistake of assuming a 1:1 relationship between kWh used by EVs and emissions at the plant. Also, ignores that as opposed to gas cars EVs can be powered by renewables.

Click to expand...

Alric said:

Electric car benefits? Just myths

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/02/18/electric-car-benefits-air-myths-pollution-health-column/23641729/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Makes the usual mistakes of assuming a 1:1 relationship between kWh used by EVs and emissions at the plant, ignores that as opposed to gas cars, EVs can be powered by renewables.

The worst is that in the life cycle analysis of gas cars it doesn't take into account extraction, refining and transport of gas.

Click to expand...

Lomborg has been debunked so much there is a book about him called "The Lomborg Deception". Article here:

http://www.newsweek.com/debunking-lomborg-climate-change-skeptic-75173" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good response article:
http://blog.ucsusa.org/usa-today-gets-it-wrong-the-benefits-of-evs-636" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

desiv

Avoiding 3 tons of CO2 would cost less than $27 on Europe's emissions trading market

Click to expand...

This is the kind of thing that really bugs me. If CO2 (a very real/tangible/physical thing) really is harmful to the climate how can it be mitigated by money (an ephemeral/conceptual/virtual idea) ??? If this were the case we should be able to solve all climate concerns through action by the federal reserve, they can just create enough dollars to offset the emissions.

It make the whole climate issue look like a money-grab scheme.

LTLFTcomposite said:

Avoiding 3 tons of CO2 would cost less than $27 on Europe's emissions trading market

Click to expand...

This is the kind of thing that really bugs me. If CO2 (a very real/tangible/physical thing) really is harmful to the climate how can it be mitigated by money (an ephemeral/conceptual/virtual idea) ??? If this were the case we should be able to solve all climate concerns through action by the federal reserve, they can just create enough dollars to offset the emissions.

It make the whole climate issue look like a money-grab scheme.

Click to expand...

Beware the machinations of economists for they do not understand thermodynamics and work in an infinite environment.