As car enthusiasts, we’re frequently confronted with moral conundrums, minor to major. A stretch of open road: do I just squeeze past that pesky speed limit by 5 or 10kph or lower the hammer and go for it? Or, do I pull .95g around that perfectly cambered on-ramp, even if I scare the bejeezus out of that slowpoke up ahead? It can be buying decisions that pit selfishness against nobler motives: do I get the cramped but fun sports sedan for my ego gratification, or the comfortable and efficient MPV for the family’s wellbeing?

Here’s one that’s been chewing at me of late: global warming. Over here in the good ‘ole U.S. of A. we’ve been seeing a lot lately of past Vice President Al Gore—now Academy Award winner Al Gore, thanks to the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”, and his holy mission to save us from drowning when the ice caps melt. Is it all hyperbole, or is there some real substance here? After all, I remember the ‘70s, when they said that we were entering an Ice Age.

So I saw the film and did some research; and the evidence for climate change is there. We are seeing an unprecedented rise in carbon (CO2) emissions, along with a rise in global temperatures, an erosion of water tables, and shrinkage of ice shelves. My country is the biggest contributor, pumping out 30% of the man-made carbon emissions, despite having just 5% of the Earth’s population.

Research shows light cars and trucks are responsible for 10-12% of mankind’s output. The basic science goes thusly: the combustion process in our vehicle’s engine tear apart the hydrogen and carbon molecules in the fuel and unite them with the oxygen in the air. 15-20% of the energy from this propels the vehicle; the rest is lost as waste, including an output of CO2. In itself, this is not a bad thing; CO2 not only is breathed in by plants for photosynthesis, but as part the atmosphere it keeps in the Earth’s heat; a natural thermostat.

The skeptics respond that the human contribution is perhaps three percent of all carbon emissions. Of course, they used to say that climate change was a myth. It is true that CO2 isn’t technically a pollutant; after all, every time one of us exhales, that’s what’s coming out of our mouths, to the tune of about a kilo per day.

But that doesn’t mean that mankind’s output isn’t the critical component that tips the balance against us. And if the doom-mongers are even close to right, the ramifications of inaction are too great to ignore. Having had a ringside seat to the Hurricane Katrina disaster here in 2005, which flooded just one moderate size city and displaced 250,000—not to mention costing over $81 billion dollars in damage—the thought of hundreds of millions of people experiencing the same type disaster makes a major is horrifying.

So what is an enthusiast to do? Rush out and buy a Toyota Prius hybrid, or keep on lusting after—and buying, if one has the wherewithal—2500kg SUVs and 500hp sports sedans? Sadly, this isn’t like reducing actual pollutants using technology like computers and catalysts; CO2 output is directly tied to the amount of fuel a vehicle uses. The only way to cut it is to drive more frugal vehicles.

Where to start? Well, there are all kinds of little things like more efficient home appliances and lightbulbs that I can purchase to be more ‘carbon neutral’, helping to offset my automotive CO2 contribution (fifty-plus cars owned to date). Crunch time comes when I’m up for the next purchase. And, as much as I’d love another gas-swilling, fullsize SUV, I can do the daily commute with something that weighs half as much, is twice as thrifty with the fuel, and pumps out half the carbon. There’s no reason to worry about supercars and trackday toys; the average one is only driven a few thousand klicks per year, so its impact is minimal. But for daily transport, it may be time to think, and drive, differently.

I’ll also be less flippant about concepts like ‘plug in’ hybrids, which the mainstream U.S. media (which range from car-ignorant to car-hating) gush about without understanding the real facts or figures. But that’s not a reason to ignore potential advancements. It’s quite probable that all the little improvements in things like batteries, regenerative-braking, and the like will add up to family vehicles that are still fun, while also being frugal. I’ll try to spread the news about the good ones, and I’ll put my money towards those manufactures that seem to have some thought for our collective welfare.

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