I can't offer any suggestions Jennifer, other than to say the most ecological solution is to keep your old car (and keep it in good tune). I was discussing this with a Green party member yesterday and, whilst neither of us has the accurate story, we agreed that the toll on the planet of producing a new car, no matter how frugal and clean, would outweigh the ecological benefits of running a cleaner vehicle for years to come.Of course, nearly all our cars are imported these days and the proportion is fairly certain to increase if Brexit happens, particularly with no deal so it's not good for the economy either.What the cynics conveniently ignore are that we are facing two major difficulties here today.One is global warning, and in terms of cars this is driven by lifetime CO2 emissions, Diesel is still more economical with carbon than is petrol.The second is harmful emissions, where diesel produces more than petrol,no matter how 'clean' (and where even electric vehicles produce brake and tyre dust). You might view this as less catastrophic than global warning (after all it is likely to kill just tens of thousands of people, whereas warming could more or less wipe us out over time, but it's still an issue. Of course the best thing is to not have, or minimise the use, of any powered vehicle (though even bikes produce brake dust and no doubt shoes produce particulates too!)Not everyone can manage this, or is willing to, but the more we can travel sustainably, the better for everyone especially those who have no realistic option but to drive like, as I understand it, Jennifer.
Guy Lambert ● 2190d