edatoakrun
Well-known member
CNBC wonders if it is now, in the article below, with videos at the link.
I'm sure many of you have noticed how otherwise rational people seem so dependent on their vehicles, that they are more or less blind to the harm they are doing when they drive them.
I'd include many BEV drivers in this group as well, though the harm caused by most BEVs under most conditions, is much less than for most all ICEV's.
This is, IMO, an addictive behavior that has been greatly reinforced by many vehicle manufactures touting their ICEVs (including hybrids and diesels) as "clean" or "green".
So, is this the moment of realization, when corporate denialism will collapse, resulting in real changes in public policy?
Will there ever be one?
9/25/15, title edited for clarity
I'm sure many of you have noticed how otherwise rational people seem so dependent on their vehicles, that they are more or less blind to the harm they are doing when they drive them.
I'd include many BEV drivers in this group as well, though the harm caused by most BEVs under most conditions, is much less than for most all ICEV's.
This is, IMO, an addictive behavior that has been greatly reinforced by many vehicle manufactures touting their ICEVs (including hybrids and diesels) as "clean" or "green".
So, is this the moment of realization, when corporate denialism will collapse, resulting in real changes in public policy?
Will there ever be one?
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/24/volkswagen-emissions-automakers-tobacco-moment.htmlVolkswagen emissions: Automakers’ tobacco moment?
The decimation of share prices across the autos industry this week highlights growing concerns that Volkswagen's problem could quickly turn into one for the entire carmaking industry.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has accused Volkswagen of installing a device in its diesel vehicles to run maximum anti-pollution controls only when emissions tests were taking place. VW has admitted the mistake and apologised, with its U.S. boss, Michael Horn, saying the company had "totally screwed up."
No other car manufacturers have officially been accused of this kind of behavior. However, the light shone on what Volkswagen was trying to sell as emission-reducing cars, which were in fact pumping more nitrogen dioxide (NOx) into the air than thought, could be uncomfortable for others.
The scandal should be "a massive wake up call to governments and regulators around the world," Friends of the Earth air pollution campaigner Jenny Bates told CNBC.
"More than fifty thousand people die early every year in the UK due to our illegally filthy air. Vehicle pollution is the main problem, with diesel vehicles the biggest culprit. Tough pollution standards are crucial for cleaning up our sub-standard air quality – which is why an urgent investigation is needed to ensure that the motor industry is complying with EU regulations."
Even given the drastic share price falls, investors are likely to stay away from the automobile sector for a while as they wonder which company will be next...
Yet the fallout could be even worse than feared, if it emerges that the problem of promoting cars as more environmentally friendly than they are goes beyond Volkswagen...
This kind of industry-wide problem is sometimes called a "tobacco moment" after the cigarette industry's early denials of the links between smoking and lung cancer, which eventually proved futile...
9/25/15, title edited for clarity