Cash for Carbon?

This summer, the Obama administration launched its incentive program deemed “Cash for Clunkers”. The program took gas guzzling vehicles off the road and replaced them with more fuel efficient vehicles in an effort to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere. As I parted ways with my ’96 Silhouette, I, along with 700,000 other Americans, looked to the future: the future with a more fuel efficient vehicle.

The deal appeared to be all around great, but one question still came to mind: Am I really helping out the environment? The burning of gasoline and diesel in a vehicle produces 20 pounds of carbon dioxide, which in turn, alters the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon credits can be purchased at $28 a ton to reduce an individual’s carbon footprint, but when comparing the efficiency of the plan to the cost needed to extinguish emissions, $500 a ton would be needed to cover the cost of destroying the existing car and manufacturing a new one. By replacing the used vehicles with gas conservative ones, consumers save money, but now have greater potential to take advantage of their low fuel bill and begin driving more. In this “efficiency paradox” the overall cost of energy plummets and the earth isn’t any better off than it was before. A smart thing to consider: additional taxes on gas. Within recent years when gas prices have skyrocketed, people stayed off the road. An addition of new taxes would limit the number of people on the road and collect extra money for the formation of green programs.
Americans need their vehicles, but Americans need the planet more.
--Jessica Iskrzycki, M. Arch. student