Hybrids, Biofuels and Other False Idols

What’s Being Left Out of Solutions to Fossil Fuel?

Everyone from the Republicans to Democrats to major environmental groups are singing hosannas to biofuels and hybrid cars as the salvation from peak oil and global warming. Will trusting corporations to manufacture environmentally friendly cars make a dent in the world’s ecological crises? Or could the “solutions” actually be making the problem worse?

The planned obsolescence and massive production of consumer objects in the overdeveloped countries is responsible for catastrophic climate change and species extinction. The question which we obviously need to address is how to improve the quality of life while decreasing the quantity of useless junk and not throwing anyone out of work. But unflinching loyalty to a growth economy prevents corporate environmentalists from searching for serious transportation options.


Cars are a huge problem, both for global warming and the exhaustion of oil reserves. With less than 5% of the world’s population, the US produces 25% of carbon emissions. Transportation causes a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.

The wastefulness of the automobile is staggering. Roughly 10% of the chemical energy of gasoline makes wheels turn around. Amory Lovins computes that, with a 10% efficient car with a driver, passenger and luggage weighing 300 pounds (which is about 10% of the car weight), only 1% of the fuel’s energy actually moves what needs to be moved.

CounterPunch