Who is carfree NOT for environmental reasons?

[PDay]

I think the whole carfree thing is cool, but is there anyone here that dosen't believe in doomsday global warming? Im personally not car free, I actually drive a rather large SUV. I was just curious. I can imagine price of cars is the 2nd biggest reason to go carfree other than environmental reasons.

[ModoVincere]

I'm not car free. I am voluntarily car lite (I own a car, in fact 2 cars. I perfer to ride my bike most of the time). I do not beleive in the doomsday scenario painted by much of the global warming/ climate change reporting these days.

I hope to make at least 1 of my cars last another 5 years. By then, I'll be trying to decide between retiring early, or starting a second career.

[Tin Cup]

I'm not car free, but I enjoy reading this forum. I will likely be car-lite in the near future. My take is that there would be a broader audience if the individual economic advantages of this lifestyle were pushed as opposed to a "save the earth" plea.

[Philatio]

For me there wasn't one big sole reason for going car free. The environment certainly plays a role (and I think it's important to consider for many reasons unrelated to "doomsday worse case scenarios") but the financial aspect is also appealing as well as the fitness that goes along with all the riding. In many cases the distance traveled just makes more sense on a bike than a car - in other words a car is not necessary for 90+% of the traveling I do. The rest of the time I'm with someone who has a car and I can get a ride and split gas or something.

[crtreedude]

I commute with a bike - but I have vehicles. I ride for enjoyment and to keep in shape as much as for any other reason. I also do it so that I won't waste a resource like oil that will probably be needed for my kids and their kids.

[chickPEA]

I am very car-lite and trying to go car free, mainly for environmental reasons (although there are other minor ones as well).

My boyfriend on the other hand really could care less about the environment but is car free for two main reasons:
1. A car is something he doesn't want to waste his money on
2. He lives in a city and can get around much easier by public transportation than by driving

[bmclaughlin807]

Economics is my primary reason for being car-free. I got tired of paying for gas and insurance. Environmental impacts are a bonus for me.

[Alekhine]

I originally quit when I fell asleep at the wheel of my car after a double shift and crashed it into a parked one at 4:00 a.m.

I decided that since the car I smacked into could just as easily have been a human being, I should forfeit my privelege for displaying such negligence as driving in that disheveled state, and so I did.

I wasn't so sure I'd last until I watched my next-door neighbor drive to the store at the end of the street and back for a bag of chips on a beautiful summer day a few months later. That's when the bell was rung in my head about exactly how we tend to use our cars, and I thought to myself, "Jeez. I've done that too," and it was then that I was quite sure I had made the right choice.

Since then I have definitely become more of an environmentalist, and all the other perks of car-freeness have followed suit into a sort of megareasoning that has carried into the way I live in general.

And so later I spent some extended time learning about bicycle touring and the joys of spending time primitive camping in remote forests via bicycle, and I've been much more austere in my way of life even outside of the car, extending into things like clothes washing, shopping with canvas bags, diet, electricity use, etcetera...

On the negative side, I have an unfortunate international wanderlust bug that needs feeding from time to time.

[wheel]

I submit the following
If cars were greener
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=268075

The type of town you live in
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=256776

Paris Global Warming Report came out today
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=265878

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=264893
What do you guys think of this look at increasing energy needs?

[genericbikedude]

I guess the main reason that I am carfree is the fact that I live in NYC... but I would avoid relying on one anywhere I live.

OK, besides the environment, here goes:

Cars are big, ugly, noisy, and take up space
Oil is limited, whether is causes global warming or not (it does)
Oil causes wars
Cars, especially big cars, symbolize arrogance. Like saying: "I have this thing that the it is impossible for everyobdy on earth to have." Imagine 1 billion chinese, each with an SUV. Im-****ing-possible.
Cars maim and kill
Cars are an enormous moneypit
Cars make cities unwalkable, and create places without soul like LA or Atlanta or Houston
Cars make suburbs, and suburbs make Columbine
Cars destroy countryside
Even if CO2 did not warm the globe, it will still acidify the ocean, killing a lot vertebrate life in it. Carbonic acid.
Cars make you fat, ugly and unsexy

[HardyWeinberg]

I bike 'cause I don't want to buy a car. The global warming thing is just a bonus.

[rajman]

Environmental factor is definitely part of my reason - though I couldn't really integrate a car into my budget easily (once you work for 10-15 years without a car - it's difficult to figure out what you might want to give up to get one - pension? retirement savings? mortage payments? travel? bike stuff? computer? none of those sacrifices are appealing)

Second - I rent out my garage, so I would either have to forego the rent or park said vehicle on the street (primarily economic).

Third my commute to work (in T.O.) is 1.5 k - if I add in the time it takes to park, the time savings of driving is minimal to nonexistent (maybe 5-10 min saved a day total - time is LOST if the weather is bad).

Inconvenience of vehicular ownership - oil changes and maintenance take time, and are often more than a short walk away from home.

Health reasons also figure into the equation - when would I get excercise if I wasn't riding/walking? It seems like a challenge to find the time to make up the lost exercise from human-powered commuting.

Given all of these the choice to be 'car-heavy' seems to be unhealthy, expensive, inconvenient, and time consuming. Though I do consider the environmental aspect of it to be important too.

[fordfasterr]

Originally became car free just to improve my health and save money.... since then I have become more environmentally aware. =)

[tsl]

When I first went car-lite, I found I arrived at work in the morning--and at home in the afternoon--relaxed and in a much better frame of mind.

When I went car-free in 1999, I found I had a lot more money since I no longer had to support a car.

Now, since I don't have to support a car, I work three days a week instead of five, earning about 60% of my former salary, and am happier than I've ever been in my life, and I still have more in the bank than I did.

It wasn't until 2006, BTW, that I bought a bike. Now I'm healthier too.

[pedex]

I didnt go car free for the environment, that's just a bonus. I did it cause it was the right thing to do.

[littledog]

My reason for going car free was to have a healthier and happier life. Part of the happiness factor is knowing that I am not part of the "car problem" whether it be global pollution/warming or suburban sprawl.
The world needs a sustainable economy/ecology which is incompatable with cars in general IMO.

[fat_bike_nut]

Some people here are car-free for economic reasons mostly. I'm not car-free as of yet, but I plan on selling my car after I complete my bachelor's degree and move out on my own, also for economic reasons. Plus, riding a bike is just plain fun. It's way more fun than driving is for me. That's my main reason for wanting to be car-free, not for the environment, or fitness, or whatever.

Of course, if you still don't believe the evidence of global warming, then I hope you'll enjoy the hotter summers we'll be getting in the coming years. Hell, right now, down here in So Cal, it's gotten to almost 90 degrees at the beginning of March! I don't remember it getting this hot at this specific time last year!

[Eatadonut]

I bike 'cause I don't want to buy a car. The global warming thing is just a bonus.

+1.

Mostly, I don't want to pay for gas.

[fordfasterr]

+1.

Mostly, I don't want to pay for gas.


+ 2, paying for gas is for punk a_ _ B_ _ _ _ es. :eek:

[kjohnnytarr]

I am.

Unless you count the body I walk around in as part of my environment.
Or unless you count our communities and culture.

So actually, no, all my reasons are environmental

[Platy]

The outlook for car-centric, foreign debt financed consumer culture seems pretty grim to me. James Howard Kunstler describes the problem in his book "The Long Emergency".

We are already being forced to do some remarkably distasteful things to keep car culture going, such as fighting a two-front war on the other side of the world and burning food crops for fuel.

[JeffS]

My feeling is that the primary reason for being car-free, car-lite or just a commuter is usually something other than the environment. The feeling of doing something for the environment kicks in later. I don't think many would change their lifestyle if the environmental aspect were somehow removed.

[bragi]

I can imagine price of cars is the 2nd biggest reason to go carfree other than environmental reasons.

You're probably right about this. According to AAA, the average family in the US spends over $8000 a year on cars, for car payments, repairs, licensing, gas, parking, etc. (I never spent nearly that much on a car, though.) My main reason for going carfree was the hippy environmental reason you mentioned, but saving a few thousand dollars a year is a wonderful added benefit. Another added benefit is the mental health aspect; it's pretty hard to get stuck in traffic for hours on a bike. As long as I live in a city, I'll never own a car again. (In rural areas, cars are actually necessary, I think.)

[Cyclaholic]

I ride as much as I do because I have these three problems...

1)I love my bikes and really enjoy riding them. If I don't get my daily riding requirements I degenerate into a bad tempered, grouchy a-hole. If I do ride I am an adorable vibrant person high on endorphines who sees the positive side to everything. :D

2)I'm a glutonous pig, I like to eat good food and lots of it. If I don't ride in just one week the weight starts piling on noticeably, in one month I won't fit into any of my clothes, and in one year I'll be morbidly obese. Maybe I eat so much because I ride so much, I'm caught in a gastronomic viscius circle that I quite enjoy being caught in. So long as I keep riding I'll keep enjoying all the attention my buns of steel and washboard abs attract from the opposite sex (and occasionally from the same sex :eek: :o )

3)I'm a tightarse with money (except when it comes to my bikes and my kids :o ) and I hate paying for gas then choking on exhaust fumes while riding my bike. Just the fact that a proportion of my taxes go towards funding all that car-centric infrastructure really p!sses me off if I think about it too much.... its legalised organised crime.

[gerv]

When I first went car-lite, I found I arrived at work in the morning--and at home in the afternoon--relaxed and in a much better frame of mind.
It is so nice to get around town by bicycle. You feel so much more alive...


The outlook for car-centric, foreign debt financed consumer culture seems pretty grim to me. James Howard Kunstler describes the problem in his book "The Long Emergency".
I've read this one and am now in the middle of "Home from nowhere" which he wrote in 1996. On top of the environmental, political issues around cars, there is also the social aspect...cars tend to isolate you from the surroundings and also tend to overwhelm. If you look at most suburban houses, particularly that style where the garage is on the front, looks like the suburban house is a dwelling wrapped around a car parking spot. Because so much area is taken up with parking lots, buildings need more space... so you can't walk easily among them.

[bigpedaler]

environmental concerns never entered my mind when i went car-free; it was simple economics -- i couldn't afford to replace the car that crapped out on me. still can't, if i want to maintain my riding lifestyle. without going into personal details, there's just not enough room in the household budget for a car under my butt. my sister & her family live w/ me, they have 2 cars, and do the majority of the grocerying (a couple years ago, they were out of town on famly business for 2 months, and i had the kids, and used the kiddie trailer to haul groceries -- no prob!).

i'm still a bit ambivalent about the current global warming scare, as i am convinced that our alarmist media has blown it all out of proportion (not to mention Al Gore's involvement -- now there's a ringing endorsement for skepticism!); but riding has helped me quit smoking after 20+ years, and i know how much i hate the stench of exhaust, so those could be considered environmental motivations.

[ellenDSD]

My family and I started riding right after Katrina hit. Gas was expensive and we felt that if there was a catastrophic shortage of fuel, we wanted to forgo our usage of it so that the folks down South would have enough for whatever they needed it for (rescue, rebuilding, etc.). Cycling, being as addictive as it is, became a habit that we continue to enjoy. And because of cycling, we have become more environmentally conscious and a whole lot more aware of our diet. It's organic all the way for us now. I'm even starting my own vegetable garden; Something I wouldn't have ever done before. Oh, and I quit smoking too!

So the ripple effect of biking has just been incredible for us. Just wish more folks would jump on the pedals, ya know?!

[gwd]

I think the whole carfree thing is cool, but is there anyone here that dosen't believe in doomsday global warming? Im personally not car free, I actually drive a rather large SUV. I was just curious. I can imagine price of cars is the 2nd biggest reason to go carfree other than environmental reasons.
I believe that global warming has occurred but dumped the car in 2000 and began car-lite experiments around 1994 or 1993. I've never heard of doomsday global warming before your post so it couldn't have been a factor in my decision. Why don't you give it a try? You could start out by substituting walking or biking trips for car trips and see for yourself how much better travel is when you aren't surrounded by steel and glass. Today I biked to work in a light snow, I was so thankful that I wasn't skidding around like my neighbor driving his muscle car.

[emosspot]

I originally became carefree because I hated driving. Especially in traffic, but even on open roads, I couldn't stand it! When I turned 16 and got my license, there was a period of time where I was fascinated with my new found "freedom," but it quickly wore off and the daily drudgery of driving started to wear on me. The last straw was moving to Chicago after college. The traffic just made my blood pressure go through the roof.

Riding a bicycle? Now that's fun. In the city, my trips aren't that much slower than the cars around me. Add in the time spent looking for parking around my neighborhood and I definitely can give the drivers a run for their money. I can even out-pace the public transportation sometimes, and I'm no speed demon.

Since giving up the car, I've become much more concerned about the environment. I'd have to say that's the primary reason I've stayed car free. But it all started because I couldn't stand driving.

[jamesdenver]

My primary reason is financial. The saved money keeps me out of debt and gives me more money for recreational spending. Second reason is health. I feel great when I commute, and love the fact if I do five days of riding I've put in almost 100 miles.

[Roody]

Mainly, things were getting out of control. I wanted to regain control over many aspects of my life and my world.

By going carfree, I immediately gained control over my health. I went from being a 320 pound diabetic who'd just had a heart attack, to being a lighter and stronger man with good blood sugars and fewer cardiac risk factors.

I also gained control of my finances. With savings of at least $400 a month, I was able to pay off debts and finally start saving some money. I was also able to help my family financially without going broke myself.

I got a hold of my time--the most precious thing we have. You can't save time, you just keep spending it. By slowing down a bit to become carfree, I learned to control time, in a way. It's hard to explain, but I evidently learned a new and better way of relating to time. Even though I still do most of the same activities, I no longer feel that I have to rush to get everything done. I've learned to be patient and wait for things to come to me some of the time.

I also feel that I've learned to think about things that are bigger than myself. Walking and cycling give me a lot of time to think, and also time to notice what's happening in the world around me. I've noticed that my actions affect the entire world in some sense. If I drive everywhere, they have to pave streets and parking spots for my use. If I spew out CO2, the world gets warmer. Doomsday? That's overstating the global warming problem. (It's a cheap rhetorical trick to overstate an opponent's position, thereby making it appear ridiculous.) But there is very little doubt that the planet is warming as a result of human activity. Since I'm a human, that means MY activity! I have to bear the responsibility for my own actions. It's no good blaming the car companies or anybody else, because I can't control their behavior. But, as I've learned by being carfree, I can control my own behavior.

[priu]

Hi Roody,

What an inspiring post! And you're correct about denialists calling it doomsday - it doesn't mean all life on this planet will be annhilated - but that the rapid changes we are producing aren't sustainable. Life will survive... and so will humans... but if we don't do anything about it, many - if not all - will suffer the consequences. Evolution tends to occur at slow rates... our actions are FARoutpacing the effects of evolution.

[Alekhine]

Mainly, things were getting out of control. I wanted to regain control over many aspects of my life and my world.

By going carfree, I immediately gained control over my health. I went from being a 320 pound diabetic who'd just had a heart attack, to being a lighter and stronger man with good blood sugars and fewer cardiac risk factors.

I also gained control of my finances. With savings of at least $400 a month, I was able to pay off debts and finally start saving some money. I was also able to help my family financially without going broke myself.

I got a hold of my time--the most precious thing we have. You can't save time, you just keep spending it. By slowing down a bit to become carfree, I learned to control time, in a way. It's hard to explain, but I evidently learned a new and better way of relating to time. Even though I still do most of the same activities, I no longer feel that I have to rush to get everything done. I've learned to be patient and wait for things to come to me some of the time.

I also feel that I've learned to think about things that are bigger than myself. Walking and cycling give me a lot of time to think, and also time to notice what's happening in the world around me. I've noticed that my actions affect the entire world in some sense. If I drive everywhere, they have to pave streets and parking spots for my use. If I spew out CO2, the world gets warmer. Doomsday? That's overstating the global warming problem. (It's a cheap rhetorical trick to overstate an opponent's position, thereby making it appear ridiculous.) But there is very little doubt that the planet is warming as a result of human activity. Since I'm a human, that means MY activity! I have to bear the responsibility for my own actions. It's no good blaming the car companies or anybody else, because I can't control their behavior. But, as I've learned by being carfree, I can control my own behavior.

Thoughtful post Roody.

Wonderful to see the change it has made in you, and it gives me a better understanding of how dedicated you are to your choices. This isn't exactly related to what you wrote, but I know you're in Michigan and it increases my respect for what you're doing. I've done the freezing cold weather car-free thing too (Buffalo - pretty much the same as MI; a Great Lakes snow emporium and the second snowiest city in the continental US besides nearby Rochester) but I'll never go back to that now that I've become used to year-long warmth (Thailand is up next for me). Reading your post though, I can see that with some discipline and desire, even that can be overcome if your thoughts are in the right place.

[peace_piper]

Environmental reasons are good, some of my top ones, but it's really just simple economics for me.

I can't afford a car.

While I could go out tomorrow and buy a beater if I wanted, it's the "operating costs" that make it undoable for me. The gas, the insurance, the taxes, the fees, the maintenence. I'm chronically underemployed and I prefer to live my life as a "Now cost only". Meaning, that unless I can afford something in the then and now, one time payment, I can't get it.

A one time fee of $40 for the used bike I bought (guy didn't know what he had!) is greater than the $300+ varying costs of a monthly car-related expenses. Especially when one is underemployed and there just isn't enough room in the budget and you want to eat that month.

[priu]

Understanding Greenhouse Gases and Global Climate Change, "Electric Cars and the Goldilocks Planet"

http://www.evworld.com/article.cfm?storyid=1200

It is extremely important to note that the Greenhouse Effect of CO2 on Venus and Mars are virtually undisputed. The CO2 molecule is a greenhouse gas because of its dipolar characteristics which absorb and radiate the infrared energy (1/3 the wavelength of a microwave). The effects of infrared energy on dipolar molecules are also virtually undisputed. Apparently, no 'scientist' was able to gain personal blood or grant money for disputing these facts.

As a side point - I am curious to know how a libertarian method of government would be able to protect the environment.

Sorry for the slight diversion - but I feel it's a necessity whenever global climate change comes up.

[Machka]

When I was car free it was because owning a car was more hassle than it was worth. It had absolutely nothing to do with the environment.

Buying a car is easy and relatively inexpensive, but maintaining a car is an expensive hassle. There's always something going wrong with them, not to mention fuel costs, insurance, blah, blah, blah. I couldn't be bothered!!

I own a car now, but my commute is 65 kms round trip with absolutely no other way out there (I do commute by bicycle in the summer), and soon my commute will be 300 kms round trip. I'm looking at alternatives for the 300 km commute, but so far, I think driving it might be the least expensive option. I'm not terribly happy about that because I still think cars are expensive hassles ... but I'm not sure what else to do.

When I become car free again, it will be to free myself from the expense and the hassle.

[CaptainCool]

Having a car would just be dumb for me. I'm in college. I haven't lived in the same place for more than a year since I left home. My undergrad happened to be vehicle-free, even when I moved a mile off campus. On slow weekends I'd walk places, sometimes covering ten or twelve miles in a day. Rollerblades on occasion. Bus is always an option. Since I got a bike, I haven't lived more than two miles from work/school or three miles from groceries.

I hesitate to even call myself car free, since it seems to be a strong, positive statement about one's place in the world and I'm just in it by circumstance. I am grateful to those who give me rides, when I carpooled to work, or let my aunt drive me to the store, or come home from a party.

I'm not looking forward to car payments, insurance, maintenance and tool costs, parking, and gas costs someday.

[genericbikedude]

Amazing how many posts on this thread are sort of defensive about their environmentalism. Certainly not proud. Sure, there are lots of reasons for financially stable and successful people to not own cars. But there is also basic human decency in not trashing our collective property. Be proud that you are not a pig, and be proud that you are setting an example.

[gerv]

When I was car free it was because owning a car was more hassle than it was worth. It had absolutely nothing to do with the environment.

Buying a car is easy and relatively inexpensive, but maintaining a car is an expensive hassle. There's always something going wrong with them, not to mention fuel costs, insurance, blah, blah, blah. I couldn't be bothered!!

I own a car now, but my commute is 65 kms round trip with absolutely no other way out there (I do commute by bicycle in the summer), and soon my commute will be 300 kms round trip. I'm looking at alternatives for the 300 km commute, but so far, I think driving it might be the least expensive option. I'm not terribly happy about that because I still think cars are expensive hassles ... but I'm not sure what else to do.

When I become car free again, it will be to free myself from the expense and the hassle.
This seems to be a North American dilemma. You'd like to cut back, but the way the society is organized, particularly with regard to working long distances from home, a car is almost mandatory. The way my town is set up, I can walk/bike many places, but if my work changes location out to a different suburb, I could be kind of stuck without a car. :-(

[ellenDSD]

Amazing how many posts on this thread are sort of defensive about their environmentalism. Certainly not proud. Sure, there are lots of reasons for financially stable and successful people to not own cars. But there is also basic human decency in not trashing our collective property. Be proud that you are not a pig, and be proud that you are setting an example.

That reminds me... why are some "environmentalists" so sheepish about their believes? Is it bad to be environmentally conscious? What about some non-environmental types? I have met some folks who get downright hostile when faced with the notion, a conversation, etc., of conservationism.

[priu]

I think it's a kind of psychological reaction... I mean it just seems a lot of people think of environmentalists are whackos or something... when the reality is quite the opposite. What exactly is logical about taking a 3,500 lb hunk of steel for a 150 lb person? Much of what passes as socially and culturally accepted norms is quite ridiculous - but few question this.

Personally, I feel it more out of anger that some can take science so lightly and not understand some of the impacts we face (and are currently inflicting). Obviously this isn't reflective of people on this board, but in general very few people have an understanding of the consequences of their actions... how it goes beyond the immediate benefit/disadvantage to the said person.

Good point nonetheless.

[fat_bike_nut]

They take science so lightly, because they cannot rationally face the truth, priu. It's scary to think that we'll run out of oil someday, or that the Earth just might increase in environmental disasters to the point where humans may not be able to adapt (in time). I was in denial for a while myself.

Give it some time. They'll come around. If they don't, well, they still will once worse comes to worse. People in general don't do something about a problem until it's too late :rolleyes:

[makeinu]

I think the whole carfree thing is cool, but is there anyone here that dosen't believe in doomsday global warming? Im personally not car free, I actually drive a rather large SUV. I was just curious. I can imagine price of cars is the 2nd biggest reason to go carfree other than environmental reasons.

There are plenty of environmental reasons to be car free apart from global warming. I don't believe in doomsday global warming, but a big part of why I am car free is environmental reasons.

The four reasons I am car free are (in no particular order):
-Safety: Man was not meant to go hurling down paved roads at 50+ mph. To me, driving a car at greater than 20 mph is as irresponsible as drunk driving and I refuse to be so irresponsible, despite it being socially popular.
-Preference: I simply hate driving. It's extremely tedious, extremely boring, and (when you consider the fact that you are putting people's lives in danger) extremely nerve racking.
-Cost: Driving is a very expensive habit and I simply don't think it's worth the price.
-Environment: From destruction of the ozone layer, to high cancer rates, to smelly disgusting air, I don't like what cars do to the environment and I won't take part in it. I don't really believe all this global warming crap. Seriously, they can't even accurately predict what the temperature will be next week and you expect me to believe that they can predict what it will be 20 years from now (and know how to stop it)? Please.

[Katzenjammer]

I don't really believe all this global warming crap. Seriously, they can't even accurately predict what the temperature will be next week and you expect me to believe that they can predict what it will be 20 years from now (and know how to stop it)? Please.
I can't predict with certainty what the next roll of a pair of dice will be, but looking at the history of many rolls will tell me whether they're crooked and in what way, and whether I can make money by betting on their future behavior.

There are things going on right now with the climate that we know have not occurred before within recorded history, and in some cases not even within the history of our species. That's a big "crooked".

[makeinu]

I can't predict with certainty what the next roll of a pair of dice will be, but looking at the history of many rolls will tell me whether they're crooked and in what way, and whether I can make money by betting on their future behavior.

There are things going on right now with the climate that we know have not occurred before within recorded history, and in some cases not even within the history of our species. That's a big "crooked".
I'm not saying the climate isn't getting a little wonky, but nobody has a clue as to what the cause is. Correlation is not causation, especially in scenarios where it is impossible to conduct controlled experiments (such as with things of global scale).

I agree that the human race is playing with fire by continuing to pump toxins into the atmosphere, but I don't think we know how these toxins will ultimately affect the global climate. Our ignorance to the dynamics of pollution and climate is not an excuse to keep polluting. On the contrary, it's the very reason not to pollute. Continuing to pollute when we don't know for sure what the environmental implications are is a much bigger risk than continuing to pollute when we know exactly what the effects are. Knowledge is power and, although the tree huggers don't like to believe it, there's a good chance that if we really did understand how pollution affects the global climate we could engineer a reverse solution. However, I don't think we understand how pollution affects the global climate (and, more importantly, global health). It would, therefore, be prudent to stop pumping toxins into the atmosphere.

Would you eat something without knowing whether or not it was good for you? Probably not. So why are so many people willing to fill their ecosystems with things like car emissions when we don't have any idea what it will do to us?

[arie]

I have a car.
A very small one.
Volkswagen Polo.
I drive in it.
Every fortnight.
I drive it from the right to the left side of the entrance to my house.
Because cars should be driven
And I have to practise my driving-license

I have two bicycles.
One for the winter.
And one I take out of the shed tomorrow
Spring is knocking at the door.
i
And withn a month I make a parcel of it.
Take it to Arizona.
Make a trip here.
Hope to be seen by cardrivers who hurry from job to home, from souvenirshop to cactus, from Monument Valley to Bisbee. Is a survivaltour riding from Flagstaff to Sedona. But New age is in Sedona too, so never worry.

Oh, the question was, why?

Just to enjoy, to taste, feel and eat the environment.
One big problem: I have to inhale much stuff that should be illegal when it was cigarete-smoke.

So in fact I take an axe and everywher, at the beginning of roads, I fell some oaks to keep the road without traffic.
Still another problem: hardly any trees, there in Arizona.

If I believe in global warming?
Seeing is believing.

And so on.

And maybe by the arrogance of cardrivers, genericbikedude mentions above, I'm pushed off the Oak Creek Canyon road.
Hells angels and cars are both member of a criminal organisation. I agree with genericbikedude.

[Lamplight]

I'm not car free as I still drive to get groceries, but the reason I don't drive is because I find it's just a miserable experience compared to biking. When I bike I'm happy, when I drive I'm frustrated and angry. It's not worth it.

[fat_bike_nut]

I'm not car free as I still drive to get groceries, but the reason I don't drive is because I find it's just a miserable experience compared to biking. When I bike I'm happy, when I drive I'm frustrated and angry. It's not worth it.

That's how I felt when I started biking again (after a 12 year hiatus) :)

That's my primary reason for wanting to go car-free, for now.

[Katzenjammer]

I'm not saying the climate isn't getting a little wonky, but nobody has a clue as to what the cause is. Correlation is not causation, especially in scenarios where it is impossible to conduct controlled experiments (such as with things of global scale).
Not so. The latest consensus is that it's 90% certain that human activity is causing the majority of the climate change now underway. The 2004 IPCC report said "M]ost of the observed warming over the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations". The latest report no longer says "likely". I don't recall what term they use, but 90% certainty should be plenty certain enough for anyone, since this is a naked-eye phenomenon, not something that must be teased out of the data with sophisticated statistical techniques. This is broadly the equivalent of watching a pair of dice roll 7s time after time. Yes, it's statistically possible for that to happen with honest dice, but that would be a really bad bet.

I agree that the human race is playing with fire by continuing to pump toxins into the atmosphere, but I don't think we know how these toxins will ultimately affect the global climate. Our ignorance to the dynamics of pollution and climate is not an excuse to keep polluting. On the contrary, it's the very reason not to pollute. Continuing to pollute when we don't know for sure what the environmental implications are is a much bigger risk than continuing to pollute when we know exactly what the effects are. Knowledge is power and, although the tree huggers don't like to believe it, there's a good chance that if we really did understand how pollution affects the global climate we could engineer a reverse solution. However, I don't think we understand how pollution affects the global climate (and, more importantly, global health). It would, therefore, be prudent to stop pumping toxins into the atmosphere.

Would you eat something without knowing whether or not it was good for you? Probably not. So why are so many people willing to fill their ecosystems with things like car emissions when we don't have any idea what it will do to us?
I agree with you that it's truly stupid to keep on doing something when it's evident that the "something" is causing effects that have never before been experienced by our species.

But when the people in power continue to lie about what's going on, it's maybe not surprising that ordinary people feel that maybe the situation isn't as bad as, deep down, they know it is. Hope springs eternal, and all that, and of course the setup is so hostile to change that it quells individual initiative. (I'm still trying to find a way to bike up to the Holyoke Mall, for example -- it's only 11 miles away, but there's no way to get there without going on a high-speed multi-lane road for at least a mile! Incredible but true.)

[priu]

For real information and not either media hype or industry schill information, see:

www.realclimate.org

Do a search for any question or concern or criticism, and chances are their archive has already discussed it. I'll not answer rudely out of the realization that you're only ignorant and not well-informed on the topic of global climate disruption.