Why does motoring always get slammed for the whole smog problem, when it’s only accountable for 30% of it?
Poor Henry Ford is rolling over in his grave because of this. Were you aware autos are only responsible for about 30% of smog? My question is, why does it get 100% of the blame in the media? Why the bad rap? Is the auto industry an easy target? Does it need to be the scapegoat? Truth is, if you think cars are a major contributor to smog; then you clearly don’t have the smoggiest idea. Admittedly, that supersized V8 powered SUV parked in the school pickup line idling away for 25 minutes with the AC on, just so the ever frazzled and distracted soccer mom with pristine nails can be at the front of the line, doesn’t help the image.
Let’s take Los Angeles, for example. Suffice it to say; it’s a city partly built on a car culture as well as silicon breasts, but I won’t go there. To go along with the car culture is its infamous smog. You’ve seen it billowing about the skyline and famed “Hollywood” sign. Now, you might surmise that cars and smog go hand-in-hand. Well, if that’s what you believe, you just might be surprised to know that cows play as big a role in the City of Angels’ smog problem as cars. That’s right; the sacred cow.
Blasphemous, you say? Sorry to rain on your wine and cheese party, but it appears that people’s penchant for milk, cheese, and other dairy products contribute to air pollution as much as cars do. Of course, those who are lactose intolerant or vegan bear no responsibility. Good work Vegans.
Now, the reason cows contribute to smog is because there are 300,000 cattle in the Los Angeles area. Bacteria feasts on their … ahhh … poo. Then tiny poo-articles drift up and make the smog particularly nasty (maybe the reason for the hub-bub on the infamous fart tax). Not that the description wasn’t nasty in itself, it’s kind of funny. Only a few intelligent souls have put the pieces together and have been slamming old Betsy or Elsie for years, to the absolute chagrin of cheese lovers. Yet, the evil 1978 Chevy Nova is still public enemy number one with a bullseye on its tail pipe.
I’m not going to tell you that vehicle exhaust isn’t a source of air pollution