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Anorak News | The Hummer Of Change

The Hummer Of Change

by | 22nd, September 2006

THE daily battle between man and nature is all around. And nature is winning.

In the UK, the fight can be symbolised by the Mirror’s front page picture of Richard Hammond’s jet-propelled car lying broken in a green field.

And in Los Angeles, the Mirror spots Arnold Schwarzenegger stepping from his gas-guzzling Hummer and vowing never to be back.

Indeed, Arnie, currently playing the role of Governor of California, has got rid of all eight of his four-ton, 11mph army-style people carriers. The move will boost his green credentials.

The Mirror tells us that Hummers emit three times more carbon dioxide than the average car (which in Los Angeles, is very possibly a truck).

And getting rid of them is all part of Arnie sticking to his manifesto. The paper says that during his campaign for election, Arnie vowed to slash air pollution by half, reduce energy output by 20 per cent in five to eight years and take out polluting vehicles.

And to have achieved his goals by simply selling off his fleet of tanks is a masterstroke.

And there is more. The State of California is now on the side of Mother Nature. The state’s attorney-general Bill Lockyer has announced that California is suing six top car makers – General Motors, Toyota, Ford, Honda, Chrysler and Nissan – for producing machines that account for 30 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions in the region.

Says Lockyer: “Global warming is causing significant harm to California’s environment, economy, agriculture and public health…it is time to hold these companies responsible for their contribution to this crisis.”

All very noble, we are sure. And fair too – so long as California sues every driver who, now aware of the link between burning fossil fuels global warming, continues to drive.

Californians are right now walking about their air-conditioned homes and offices wondering how they can save the planet…



Posted: 22nd, September 2006 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink