I drive a Mitsubishi Shogun, huge great 7 seater thing. We have no kids, and only one dog. However, my car is 10 years old and we use it to go off-road in (as it was designed to do) and to pull the trailers etc.

I would happily leave my car at home and use public transport as much as possible, if there was any useable public transport near me (train station 9 miles away, nearest bus route would take over an hour to get to work). I even looked at joining a car sharing scheme, but it would add another 30mins to my (already 45min) journey each way.

I think the the Govt. needs to sort out things like public transport networks etc before raising tax and expecting people to give up their cars.

What the Govt don't see to realise is that many more people work away from where they live, so need a car to get to work. I guess that even 10 years ago, people worked closer to home.

They should keep working on things that people can affect themselves, like recycling and energy saving in the home. Packaging should be reduced, and people should be encouraged to reduce food miles by buying much in-season/local produce as they can.

Large Corporations and businesses should be given a lot more responsibility to reduce stuff, rather than excusing themselves with "we only do it cos the consumers want it"

Phew... rant over

And now I love you too. I'm just giving away love like it's going out of fashion today!

It's OK... free love!! *To environmentally aware people anyway!*

Don't worry we have a 4x4 too, it was a second hand bargin is 10yrs or so old but looks lovely and suits us...we don't have kids and don't only use it for the school run...lol..we live out in the sticks and often use the byways / dirt roads with big dents in them...We moved house from around the corner and used it to move all our stuff in a few trips (as well as walking alot of it around)...We can bring bulk loads home when needed without making several trips or having to pay for someone else to bring it...We can do our monthly shop after walking the dogs and have them in the truck as well as all the shopping and us, we can take other people when visiting out walking with us and the dogs...a Smart car or something would be ridiculous for us and our big dogs and the things we do.

On the other hand we don't do alot of unnecessary driving and make our fuel last as long as possible and I'm sure whatever damage we do with that we make up for in other areas and vica versa for the little car drivers.

Anyway dunno about 10yrs but really...People just arn't going to be around for ever on earth no matter what it is that stops things being as we know them...If it isn't global warming it would be something else like another ice age or something...I have no idea but nature it's self has changed the planet from one thing to another and it will do it again....In the meantime world war 3 could happen...anything...lol...Just gotta live our day to day lives as best and as responsible as we can really...lol

****To add: the government irritate they put things there for people to use and we structure our lives around the way things are set out for us then once it's all to late it's our fault. Governments made the world it is today made the way people live there lives and we live accordingly because there really is no other way other than to go with the flow and then what?!

If I had my way we would still be using animal power and I would use my dogs to pull me from a to b along some dusty road on a cart of some sort...But I aint got no choice, anything less than enclosing yourself in some sort of vehicle will result in death...lol (not my fault the way things are)

yep i believe its the terrorists that are gonna kill us all way before anything else happens!!

As I understand it, USA is responsible for something like 25% of the earth's carbon emissions, China is soon to overtake USA in it's size and industrial capacity, and so add those two together and pretty much all anyone does is going to be like crying into the ocean, hoping to keep it topped up.

I'm all for good causes, but I recognise impractical solutions when I see them too!

I think now is the time it needs to be made more possible then ever for people to have home based jobs etc etc...We are the size of a pebble and aside from anything else we are to crowded to carry on in the same way, pollution etc aside also, things down south will just grind to a halt at some point with no room regardless of the other issues!

Haha they could do something radical and have a no cars at all day or two where you either have to bike or use animal power to get around then I could really put my dogs to good use! Only emergency vehicles allowed or something.

Seriously the thing is, everything cost wise is extortionate, So we all have to go to work and commute all over the place just to scrape by...Everything is about produce and industry to keep the money hungry wheels turning...If it wasn't for governments in the first place we would all still be living in tee-pees or something living 'natural' lives but while everything stays all about the money nothing will ever change it's to late the damage is done and unless we make a radical turn back to more simple lives where money is not the be all and end all to living there is nothing that can really be done in my opinion. Everybody is just little clones living to work to make money to live and to give lots of it to the government, it's what they wanted and it's what they've got...lol

There are probably things they can do now to ease the burden on the planet but probably wouldn't go with alot of possibilities because it might mean less money for them.

Well at least you're honest about it, fair enough

I expect you're all right guys, global warming isn't a threat, the scientists have got it all wrong, and the whole thing was dreamt up as a money-making scheme for the government.

Just in case though, I'm off to knit myself a big old scarf in anticipation of those Siberian winters...

hmm no sarcasm there

I never said it wasn't a threat or saw anyone else say so...

But the way people live there lives today is becuase they have been shaped by governments and for most people there is no alternate not anything wrong in saying that?