tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post7356026681031805696..comments2024-03-06T06:34:42.881-05:00Comments on EconoSpeak: Riding a Bike Causes Climate ChangeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-44350651360319244222013-03-08T16:56:58.583-05:002013-03-08T16:56:58.583-05:00It's probably not possible to calculate the di...It's probably not possible to calculate the difference between walking and cycling. On the one hand, cycling increases the work-efficiency of the human energy expended -- you can go further on a given quantity of breathing and calorie burning. But there are also equipment and infrastructure costs in the roads and bikes.<br /><br />The differences between cars and bikes are orders of magnitude though.<br /><br />It's fascinating that Peter takes the time and effort to respond substantively to Orcutt's blather but dismisses critiques of the "growth" paradigm with a facile "I've never seen..." remark. I'm sure Orcutt has "never seen a persuasive argument" that fossil fuel burning is the real greenhouse gas issue, not riding bicycles. Sandwichmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11159060882083015637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4900303239154048192.post-52527653272704365842013-03-08T13:56:47.916-05:002013-03-08T13:56:47.916-05:00The virtue of exercise aside, the key, it seems to...The virtue of exercise aside, the key, it seems to me, lies in the counterfactuals. Here is lamebrain's quote:<br /><br />"If I am not mistaken, a cyclists [sic] has an increased heart rate and respiration. That means the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider."<br /><br />By comparison with doing nothing except breathing.<br /><br />The main comparison of interest is with the amount of CO2 emitted if the cyclist drove to where he is going. (Not to mention other pollutants in exhaust fumes.) The amount of combustion necessary, and thus the amount of CO2 produced, to move the cyclist plus a two ton car the same distance is much more than that required to move just the cyclist. So to keep CO2 pollution in check, we want to discourage driving and encourage cycling. Big duh! <br /><br />What about the comparison with walking? It has been a while since I took physics, and I never took physiology, but, walk or ride, the energy required to move the cyclist or pedestrian should be about the same, heavy breathing or no. The bike weighs something, though, so walking should produce somewhat less CO2. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com