Greenpeace - The Global Warming Truck
(Guest article)
9/5/2008

On my way back from Cleveland yesterday I passed an unusual truck that was lumbering down the turnpike with windows wide open and a profile that I immediately thought (sitting in my SUV with the A/C blasting, by the way) must generate huge drag and inefficiency.  I thought, "That thing has to burn a ton of fuel!"

As I passed it, I realized that the truck was the Greenpeace Global Warming Story Tour truck (I won’t comment on the band of radicals that were driving) which led me to scratch my head at the sight of this massive truck cruising down the highway touting a global warming message on the side.  For kicks, I did a little lookup on the net.

It turns out the truck is carrying 256 square feet of solar panels across the country touting the benefits of moving towards alternative energy and combating global warming.   The truck has travelled from San Francisco (surprise) and will end up in Washington via Seattle, New York, the Everglades and 40 plus additional stops along the way.

Now, I think you know where I’m going with this.

The truck runs on “biodiesel” which is touted as a cleaner form of fuel vs. regular diesel.  Biodiesel emits lower emissions according to the EPA, although it is said to also reduce fuel efficiency and actually increase NOx emissions which contribute to smog.  Also, the EPA comprehensive study of Biodiesel showed no discernable difference in CO2 emissions (what many believe to be a dominant culprit in global warming) with biofuel vs. conventional diesel (cite).  Additionally, while diesel is traditionally better at emissions versus gas, it is still a trade-off between reductions in various gas emissions and increases in both the NOx emission and actual particle emissions (i.e. the black stuff that shoots out of the exhaust of a diesel truck) of the vehicle.

By the way, just to clarify, BIOdiesel is still fossil fuel, it is just another form of fossil fuel.  In this case, diesel combined with soy based fuel.

All that being said, my intent is not to debate the various forms of fuel.  The reason I find this so interesting is that they are actually driving this behemoth truck around the country.  By using Google Maps and not counting the other 30 plus stops along the way, but assuming they will be heading back to California at the end of the tour, the distance covered by the tour truck is at least 9,114 miles! 

From what I see on the net, the average diesel truck gets about 17 miles per gallon.  Using my super education math skills, that is at least 534 gallons of biodiesel fuel used by this single truck in a three month period.

Now, listen, I have absolutely no problem with activists driving big fuel inefficient trucks.  What I have a problem with is the double-standard involved - That Greenpeace NEEDS the highway system to do their work.  They NEED fuel burning trucks and boats to be effective, just as you and I need our cars to do our work and live our lives.  And until Greenpeace can power their truck via wind power, they are going to be dependent on someone sticking a drill into the ground and pulling up some black gold and shipping it around the country in a logistical miracle at a mere $4/gallon.

So when they shout to the world that Congress reject the removal of the ban on offshore drilling, maybe they shouldn’t do that from behind the wheel of the hypocrisy mobile.  And maybe if they want to have a real impact on climate change (if you believe that stuff), maybe they should adopt a strategy of “drill baby drill” so that we can stop relying on foreign oil that has to be shipped half-way across the world from drill sites and refineries that are below the clean eco-standards that we would employ.