AVERAGE MAN LOVES LOIS CAPPS

The Average Man is very concerned about global warming (as is anyone who believes in science), and the new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change didn't help alleviate my concerns when they warned that ...

failure to contain these emissions will have disastrous environmental effects, especially in poorer countries, which are least able to defend themselves and their people against the consequences of climate change.

And what was the Bush administration's response to this report? Was it, "Oh my god, we need to do something about this and right away!" No, it was something more like, "We need to boost the economy of those countries so that they can better prepare themselves." Typical.

Anyway, I have more opinions on this issue than the average man should, but for this post, I would like to focus on vehicles. As the Daily Sound and those rockin new people at the Santa Barbara Newsroom recently reported, Santa Barbara has added a fleet of hybrid-electric buses that will "improve fuel economy by up to 60 percent." I think this is awesome, because it is my personal view that the the key to solving the global warming crisis starts and ends with vehicles ... and hybrids are the "slam dunk" solution. If you don't agree, the following are a few of my thoughts on the competing technologies:

1) Hydrogen - This is a good idea in concept, but it is a loser in reality. Besides the fact that the technology is too far away, no solution is viable in which you have to change the cars AND the infrastructure that supports the fuel.

2) Biodiesel - It definitely has its place, but my informed friends are slowly changing my mind on this one. First, there is a risk that corn prices will skyrocket, causing side effects like food shortages. Second, there was a recent New York Times editorial that argued an increase in biodiesel production will cause government protected land to be opened up to farming. And finally, the corn lobby will prevent better alternatives like switch grass and sugar beets from being used.

3) Electric Cars - I strongly urge you to watch the movie Who Killed the Electric Car? to see why this will never work.

That leaves hybrids. They really are the perfect solution ... They can make a huge positive impact on global warming (in a short period of time), they do not require any change in infrastructure, oil companies can still produce their smelly gasoline, car companies are losing money on gas guzzling SUV's anyway, China & India will follow our lead, and hybrids already have a foothold. And if that's not enough, plug-in hybrids are just around the corner. Even better!

So, back to Santa Barbara. The buses are a great first step, but I would encourage Lois Capps and the SB government to keep moving forward. I was listening to a guy named Edwin Black talk about his book Internal Combustion on C-SPAN a few months back. In his speech, he argued that the key to acceptance is not personal vehicles. Rather, it's the fleets. So, imagine if every government vehicle in SB had to be a hybrid? Or every government vehicle in California?

I could never be elected president, because I would require that all cars be hybrids by 20-right-away. Since no politician could ever sell that idea, the next best thing is for it to happen organically. I'm proud that Santa Barbara is doing its part, but we have to go bigger and faster. Average-Man can't save the world by himself!