From How the World Really Works (Vaclav Siml, 2022) p190-1
Most remarkably, we have largely ignored taking steps that could have limited the long-term impacts of climate change and that should have been taken even in the absence of any global warming concerns because they bring long-term savings and provide more comfort. And as if that were not enough, we have deliberately introduced and promoted the diffusion of new energy conversions that have boosted the consumption of fossil energies and hence further intensified CO2 emissions. The best examples of these omissions and commissions are the indefensibly inadequate building codes in cold-climate countries and the worldwide adoption of SUVs.
Because our houses are around for a long time (a well-built, properly maintained wood-frame North American house with a concrete foundation can last for more than 100 years), with proper wall insulation, triple window panes, and highly efficient heating furnaces they represent a unique opportunity for long-lasting energy (and hence carbon emissions) savings. In 1973, when OPEC quintupled the world price of crude oil, most buildings in Europe, North America, and North China had just single-pane windows; in Canada triple panes will not be mandated before 2030, and Manitoba was the first province to require high-efficiency (>90 percent) natural gas-fired furnaces in 2009, decades after such options became commercially available. Would it not be interesting to know how many delegates to global warming meetings coming from cold climates have triple panes filled with inert gas, super-insulated walls, and 97 percent efficient gas furnaces? Analogically, how many people in hot climates have properly sealed rooms so that their poorly installed and inefficient window air conditioners don’t waste cool air?
SUV ownership began to rise in the US during the late 1980s, it eventually diffused globally, and by 2020 the average SUV emitted annually about 25 percent more CO2 than a standard car. Multiply that by the 250 million SUVs on the road in 2020, and. you will see how the worldwide embrace of these machines has wiped out, several times over, any decarbonization gains resulting from the slowly spreading ownership (just 10 million in 2020) of electric vehicles. During the 2010s, SUVs became the second-highest cause of rising CO2 emissions, behind electricity generation and ahead of heavy industry, trucking, and aviation. If their mass public embrace continues, they have the potential to offset any carbon savings from the more than 100 million electric vehicles that might be on the road by 2040!
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