The award of the Nobel Prize to Al Gore and the IPCC has brought much deserved—and long delayed—attention to the prospects of global warming and the influence of human-generated CO₂ thereon. As has been said before here and in many other places, one of the major sources of CO₂ is the burning of petroleum. Most of petroleum is burned in vehicles. Cars and airplanes for example. So, one might think that a rational approach to reducing the rate of CO₂ production would be to:

1. increase the fuel efficiency of vehicles by some combination of better engines, reduced weight and improved structural design;
2. move to carbon-free fuels, provided that their production and use don’t have contervailing side effects;
3. reduce the number of vehicles in use by encouraging or requiring them to always carry at least some high percentage of their potential passenger loads;
4. reduce the need for vehicles by altering the requirements for transportation.

Here’s where the tunnel vision comes in. Continue reading Tunnel vision and alternate routes →