The Myth of the Green Car

The Grim Reaper

No. 6 in a never-ending series. Summer 1993

First there was the Green Party, then there was green petrol, then came the green car - sensitively built and, theoretically, up to 75% recyclable for people who really cared about the environment. At last you could be green and drive with a relatively clear conscience, knowing you were doing minimal damage to the environment. But how much is minimal damage?

Recent German research published in The Guardian newspaper followed the lifecycle of a medium-sized car and came up with yet more shocking figures:-

The extraction of raw materials to build the car in the first place produces 25,000 kg of waste and 422 million cubic metres of polluted air. The transportation of these materials to the car factory produces a further 425 million cubic metres of polluted air and 12 litres of spilt oil in the sea for each car!

You could, of course, be really green and buy yourself an old banger, absolving yourself of any complicity in the production process. However, when the wheels fall off you've got to scrap the old heap. That produces a further 102 million cubic metres of polluted air plus large amounts of dangerous PCBs and hydrocarbons.

AND....all this pollution is without even driving a single mile. The simple act of owning a car is enough to make you sick!

The Grim Reaper