Hybrid Cars Are Cleaner Than Joggers
May 2nd, 2011 by 
This finding will leave you breathless. A physiology professor at the University of Milan concluded that four men running, walking and riding bicycles emit more carbon dioxide than hybrid cars. He also compared it to gas and diesel cars, which beat the men in terms of carbon emissions.
Of course the research carried out by Alberto E. Minetti is just illustrative of how clean hybrid cars have become. As one commentator questioned in the Scientific American, where the original article appeared, “does the carbon dioxide total with each vehicle used include the CO2 released by the four men sitting at rest within the vehicle? From the earth’s point of view, it should.”
Nor did the study take into account the C02 produced during the manufacturing of the car. But then, we could also factor in the food consumed by the runners in order to get the energy to do all this running. Or, as Dvice notes, cars can be turned off and temporarily stop emitting carbons, while humans can’t.
As Dvice also highlights, the point of the comparison is to show that vehicles running on green technology have come a long way and are definitely leaving a lighter footprint on the planet. That’s good news. And you can start breathing again …
Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.
photo: celine nadeau.
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Tags:  Carbon Dioxide carbon emissions green technology hybrid cars riding bicycles runners | [ Permalink ] |
“Nor did the study take into account the C02 produced during the manufacturing of the car. But then, we could also factor in the food consumed by the runners in order to get the energy to do all this running.”
So, essentially, this was a silly publication that doesnt really take into account much?!.. I would say that eating is not optional, whereas manufacturing a vehicle is nonessential.. one could argue food intake would need to be increased to account for the extra physical activity but then that difference would be an amount to estimate and counter balance with manufacturing costs.. It also neglects to take into account the method for producing the electricity (hybrid), which here in Alberta Canada is still overwhelmingly coal.. and neglects the CO2 released in the acquisition and transportation of fuel to the vehicle..
Additionally, rather than looking at the total amount of CO2 exhaled by four males I believe the vehicles exhaust rates should be measured against the difference between ‘at rest’ and ‘biking/running/etc’ CO2 exhalation rate..
To be blunt, this is a stupid publication..
Cheers,
Lastly, what is the average occupancy of a vehicle in North America?..
Based on this site, between one and two..
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/facts/2003/fcvt_fotw257.html
So.. Lets review.. there is no reduction of CO2 emissions for taking your hybrid to Starbucks instead of walking.. Common sense rules the day once more…