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from the a-Republican-speaking-sense-to-other-Republicans-and-others dept.
The Center for American Progress reports:
Arnold Schwarzenegger posted a note on Facebook on [December 7] that made a very good point about climate change and renewable energy: It really doesn't matter what you believe.
The former California governor addressed people who think climate change is a conspiracy or a hoax, and asked them whether the deaths from pollution are acceptable, whether fossil fuels will last forever, and--to paraphrase greatly--what kind of world they want to live in. This excerpt pretty much sums up his argument to climate deniers.
There are two doors. Behind Door Number One is a completely sealed room, with a regular, gasoline-fueled car. Behind Door Number Two is an identical, completely sealed room, with an electric car. Both engines are running full blast.
I want you to pick a door to open, and enter the room and shut the door behind you. You have to stay in the room you choose for one hour. You cannot turn off the engine. You do not get a gas mask.
I'm guessing you chose the Door Number Two, with the electric car, right? Door number one is a fatal choice--who would ever want to breathe those fumes?
It's a strong point, but even more importantly, it's a bipartisan point. We are in an era where addressing climate change is largely split down party lines, especially in Congress. Moderate Republicans like Schwarzenegger, who believe a healthy environment and climate are public goods, haven't yet been able to sway people who think that clean energy is going to kill the economy.
But Schwarzenegger should know that a green economy can work. As governor of California, he worked with the Democratic-led legislature to enact the nation's first comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions reduction law and the nation's first low-carbon fuel standard. Now California is the nation's leader in both solar installations and solar jobs.
2 nitpicks: If it's electric, it's called a motor, not an engine. "Power plant" would have been more apt.
The electric car would need a way to allow the wheels to turn without the car going anywhere.
...and if the gasoline car's engine is "running full blast", you'll need a load (dynamometer).
Otherwise: Brilliant.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 13 2015, @08:38PM
His thought experiment doesn't tell me anything about global warming. It seems to be more about smoggy cities, for which California is famous.
Powering electric cars with our current sources of electricity is not pollution-free, but if the power plants are situated away from cities, then city people suffer less from air pollution. Pollution from a few power plants is easier to monitor and ameliorate than pollution from thousands of cars. Using electric cars (buses? trains?) doesn't imply that we stop burning fossil fuels.
After running for a few minutes, California cars don't emit much carbon monoxide: the catalytic converter, once warmed up, turns it into carbon dioxide. The thing to worry about would be that the engine would use up all the oxygen in the room. If I had to go in that room, I'd get into the car's cabin, close the vents and just wait it out. The cabin would contain more than enough air to sustain me for an hour. If the car were locked I'd (attempt to) break a window to get in, then cover it with a piece of my clothing. If I could break off one of the side mirrors, it might contain a metal bit with which I could break the window...car windows are tough. That approach might not work on a planetary scale.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 13 2015, @09:25PM
...or, you could just go sit in the room with the electric car.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 13 2015, @11:17PM