The larger the vehicle, the more problematic. We need small, rightly sized vehicles. Commuters to office jobs don't need maxed out hardcore trucks, and allowing super old/polluting heavy duty trucks to spew garbage onto our communities is sad. We should make it easy and cheaper to switch a very dirty vehicle for a clean vehicle. Carbon taxes are nice for the long term, but we also need very rapid improvements in the dirtiest polluters: trucks, older vehicles, those driving without cat converters (common in my area), and obviously coal plants.
There are programs to buy back citizens' dirty vehicles, in Vermont they tried to reduce the old truck fleet to lower CO2 emissions. The problem is the owners were just fine with their trucks, why should they need to retire their machine before its' time?
There is a process of convincing here, mere economics hasn't been enough. We need all citizens, not just one party or the other, to help fight air pollution. I recognize the poorest will have the hardest time, which means those in power should support climate justice for lower income or frontline communities.
Genuinely curious, what’s the difference between a truck, a van, and an SUV? Demonizing trucks, to me, feels like demonizing “assault” weapons. And trucks have arguably much more positive utility than assault weapons. How can you effectively regulate vehicles with a flat bed on the back? Some people need utility vehicles, period. I suspect it’s more than simply a case of “they were perfectly happy with their trucks”.
There are programs to buy back citizens' dirty vehicles, in Vermont they tried to reduce the old truck fleet to lower CO2 emissions. The problem is the owners were just fine with their trucks, why should they need to retire their machine before its' time?
There is a process of convincing here, mere economics hasn't been enough. We need all citizens, not just one party or the other, to help fight air pollution. I recognize the poorest will have the hardest time, which means those in power should support climate justice for lower income or frontline communities.