16
My attempt to explain carbon footprints to my 80-year-old uncle led to a hilarious debate about horse-drawn carriages.
He insisted that his childhood commute via pony was carbon neutral, forgetting about the hay shipments from three states over.
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
phoenixh1412h ago
What clicked? I used his old car's gas mileage.
5
the_seth11h ago
Old car gas mileage isn't a reliable benchmark. Current tech and driving styles impact fuel economy too much...
3
miller.henry2h ago
Doesn't the historical context of fuel economy provide a solid reference point, despite technological changes? Old mileage figures, when adjusted for driving conditions, can highlight how much efficiency has actually improved. For instance, my uncle's 1992 Civic consistently got 38 mpg on highway trips, a number that modern compacts still struggle to beat in real-world mixed driving. That kind of data strips away the marketing hype and shows genuine progress, or lack thereof. If driving styles vary so much now, then maybe the benchmark should be how consistently we can approach those old numbers with new tech. Then again, maybe we're all just worse drivers now.
6