So today a predication appears to have come closer to truth. The planet’s ability to soak up CO2 is being compromised. As we pump ever more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere the carbon sinks we rely on to at least slow the onslaught of climate change are acting chaotically. Less CO2 is being absorbed by the sea, even as we fell the remaining carbon sinks on land and strip mine and burn ever more fossil fuel… Sometimes it’s like watching a friend being sandpapered to death.
And for all my intention, I admit my own hopeless hypocracy. My car is due for replacement in the next thousand or so miles, and I’m way behind selecting a new one. ‘A-ha,’ I hear you cry, ‘why not just keep the old one?!’ Well I would if I could, but it’s a company car and company policy requires the change. And I can’t do my work without a car.
My current bus is a Peugeot 307SE SW, a diesel estate that returns a fair 46mpg (that’s measured; imperial gallons filled and miles driven) but I want to do something better with the new one. I’ve been looking at two vehicles mainly – a Mini Cooper Diesel and a Toyota Prius.
The Mini (ok, a lot bigger than the Mini I owned many years ago, you could almost call it a Maxi if there hadn’t been one of those already too!) is a fun car, and also advertises itself as doing 72mpg with 104g/km emissions. It is however overpriced and small and I may suffer with the bucket seating (being an olde farte).
The Toyota is, I think, a love it or loathe it car. There are websites filled with happy geeky Prius owners regaling each other with their tremendous fuel economies, and others reviling the car for the environmental desert that is the source of it’s batteries. As a car it has all the bells and whistles but perhaps the drive is less exciting than the Mini…
I’ve got both booked for test drives, but a large part of me wishes I could cycle to work, or keep my old Pug. At the end of the day I guess I hate making decisions!