The New Car

My uncle's new Hyundai has an engine that's under 2 cylinders (most cars sold in Mumbai have small engines since they're meant for speeds under 40 mph) and red and black seats.  It also has a little green "eco" label in the back windshield, because it's a hybrid.  It runs on battery and liquefied petroleum gas.

The Bush government always claimed that it didn't sign the international carbon emissions standard, the Kyoto Protocol, because the Protocol required developed nations to cut carbon emissions but didn't require the same thing of developing nations.  The provisions were meant to encourage economic growth in the Third World, but the Bushies (and plenty of others!) said that such exceptions were unfair to US industry, which wouldn't be able to compete.

This mentality indicates either that these people have a sad lack of faith in US industry and its relative competence, or they're just faking concern about the environment to cover their own laziness.  But more important.

In classes, we always assumed that people, given the option, would rather pollute.  So in a post-Kyoto world, Indians would merrily and sneakily rip the ozone layer to shreds while the US abstained and languished.

I've been maybe too surprised (and what does that say about me?) by how untrue this is.  Green architecture and urban planning crop up in most magazines and newspapers, and politicians and actors discuss environmental concerns in stump speeches.  Concern about pollution and global warming runs high.  People are very dedicated to reducing their individual impact on the environment.

(I can't make any statements about Indian industry, although it's something I should look into.)