Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.
As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades:
How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world:
Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:
Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.
Is there one single good reason to have these huge ass monstrosities on the road?
Car manufacturers did a lot of lobbying to class them as light trucks rather than cars so they can benefit from more lax emissions regulations. Then marketed the hell out of them as the more they sold the less they have to comply with the stricter emissions regulations for normal cars.
So as with every shit thing these days the big reason is to increase profits at any expense.
After successfully lobbying lawmakers to class these vehicles as light trucks rather than cars, binding SUVs to less stringent fuel efficiency standards, the industry set about slotting them into almost every arena of American life.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/01/suv-conquered-america-climate-change-emissions
Btw, for those interested in learning more about this kind of stuff, Not Just Bikes made a video on this topic that covers it pretty well.
Status. One upping your neighbors and coworkers.
That's pretty much it.
Hummers were EVERYWHERE in my neighborhood back before 2008 because they were both ridiculously big and wastefully expensive. The ultimate one two punch to say fuck you to the Jones next door.
These days, I feel like I see more ridiculously big wastefully expensive pickup trucks than SUVs, but that could be a product of living in Texass.
No.
A RAV4 starts at 29k, a sienna starts at 37k. A small SUV is usually cheaper than the cheapest minivan from the same brand. Couple that with the ease of dealing with child carseats in a higher vehicle and there’s your reason.
A small suv is simply the logical choice for small families.
That's comparing apples to oranges. The sienna seats eight people. You have to compare it with the highlander, which starts at 39K. The rav4 is better compared the camry, which starts at 26K or the corolla
I mean you're illustrating the same rationale in a different way. Anyone who's hauled kids around in a sedan knows it sucks, so you go shopping for a family hauler. Traditionally you get a minivan, so you check the price, and it's nuts. You look at their SUV selection and you find a hit. Three thousand over a camry via car-payments is cheap compared to straining your back every day.
Because the structure the government set in place prioritizes the biggest heaviest vehicles over smaller cars that are more fuel efficient in absolute terms, but are disqualified due to not meeting the exponential curve of MPG per lbs that make up the limits.
People need to be made to pay the full cost for these things, for the CO2, for the damage to infrastructure, oe the air pollution, for the risk to people. That or regulate them out of existence.
In Australia, car registration cost is based on weight. Does the same apply in the US?
Registration is managed at the state level. In Minnesota weight is not a factor. The registration tax for passenger class vehicles (cars, vans and pickups rated at less than one-ton, and one-ton passenger vans) is determined by the vehicle's base value and age. Minimum tax for vehicles 10 years old and older is $35.
The newer and more expensive your vehicle the higher the tax. In terms of road repair costs, that is collected via a gas excise tax.
I don't know about the US, but not in Canada.
But muh truuuck