Ah, you knew it had to happen. Taking a page from the “smoking kills” campaigns, the McKibbenites are petitioning the land of fruits and nuts to put new warning labels on gas pumps warning buyers about the evils of gasoline use as it pertains to global warming.
And, given that California’s governor Jerry brown was recently scared shitless at AGU by a hyped up presentation by Penn State’s Dr. Richard Alley, he’ll probably help these folks get it into law. I wrote then:
I shudder to think what sort of influence Alley’s rantings might have on the people of California via Brown.
Here’s the proposed label:
My view is that it will probably get about as much attention from consumers as the idiotic Global Warming Labels for cars in California, that are even required on electric cars (which is why I gave up on trying to sell them in 2008, but that’s another story) because apparently consumers are too stupid to figure out that electric motors don’t directly emit gases.
Does anyone except the most zealotous of buyers really care? Generally not, looks, features, color, price, performance, and mileage are still the biggest factors in determining an automobile purchase.
So, even if the McKibbenites manage to get this into law, it will likely have about as much impact as this sticker already slapped onto new car doors and the side of gas pumps in California from Proposition 65 in 1986:
![prop_65[1]](http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/prop_651.jpg?quality=83)
People still need to get from point A to point B, like to work, and will generally consider that need above all others. Basically the new global warming gasoline warning label as proposed will just be a subtle form of harassment from the minority McKibbenites on the majority of Californians.
The local chapter of the McKibbenite sect thinks the label should look like this:
350BayArea.org has released this mock up of what a climate change warning label might look like on a gas pump. (350BayArea.org)
I keep hoping environmental zealots will be forced to wear a warning label. Maybe something like “Warning: Irrational and emotionally based statements (and odors) may emanate from this individual, keep 10 feet back.”
(h/t to a bunch of people, you know who you are.)
So if someone drives to the petrol station (sorry, gas station in California) and then they see the warning sign – what are they meant to do?
Some Options:
A: Decide to not fill up and instead leave their car there?
B: Decide to not fill up, drive off and run out of gas in the middle of the road?
C: Decide to cut down on their usage and hope people don’t notice they are actually driving further to make more trips to the station.
D: Ignore this and in the process miss the “No Smoking near flammables” sign as well.
Any other ideas?
Because water is by far the primary greenhouse gas, the main source of greenhouse gas in California is hot air.
Gail, Gunga,
Stop disillusioning me. 🙁
BAN DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE!
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_ban_dhmo.htm
Dave in Canmore says:
January 10, 2014 at 11:09 am
“”I suppose it’s too much to ask these zealots to simply look at the temperature trend in California to see if their rantings match reality?””
Californian, G. Ima Zealot. sitting in his cold grass hut says:
“looky there, Cali’s regulations are stopping global warming after all.
Reactions of Gas Station Customers (cont.):
1. Average Joe or Maria — see above.
2. Average 20-something: (shrug) Crap happens.
3.Average 30-something: (never sees it) No, I’m not buying candy, this time. No. NO! GET BACK IN THE CAR, JASON MICHAEL!
4. Average 55-plus-something: Warning… hnh. How do they expect me to read that without my glasses.… (back to calculating to the penny exactly how much 23 gallons will cost)
5. Average punk of any age: HA, HAA! (lights cigarette and uses it to deface sticker)
6. Average educated punk: Heh. (takes out black Sharpie pen and edits sticker appropriately… “WARNING… GLOBALL FARMING CAUSED BY GREENHOUSE GASES CAUSES… SERIOUS…. ECONOMIC WELL-BEING… HEALTH…” etc, etc…)
Ha, ha, M. Courtney (11:20am) Nice. That creates a FUN mental image; would make a terrific comedy skit: The Super-sensitive Dupe at the Gas Pump
“Oh, dear, oh, dear, oh, dear! What to do???!!”
All I can say is that since California is so worried about man made CO2 I have no alternative but not to travel to California on vacation. I would hate to endanger the people that live there. I’ll just have to spend my tourist dollars somewhere else.
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“Sorry about that, Chief.”
Sticker that all car and gas store owners are free to use:
“Remember your unalienable rights to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness,
endowed by your Creator.”
Why not put warning labels on planes, stairs, the light switch, etc. Now I did say planes and I know Mcbidden’s went on a tour all over the place using that transport of convenience. He didn’t need to fly.
The Niagara Falls naturally formed ice sculptors.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/shareitnow/la-sh-frozen-niagara-falls-about-to-be-melted-20140110,0,7766210.story#axzz2q1fDEr7b
Errrrrr….. what about all of the exhalations and emissions of green house gasses from Californians? Should each one have a similar label applied to the head… and posterior?
CARB should really be re-named The Department of Redundancy Department. How about they simply eliminate CARB (jobs, infrastructure, the whole thing) and use the existing federal system. So, California is running a huge fiscal deficit. How close would California immediately move towards a balanced budget?
Janice Moore says:
January 10, 2014 at 11:25 am
Reactions of Gas Station Customers (cont.):
You forgot one, Janice:
Average Left Wing Liberal: “OMG!!! Moon Mama – did you see this??! My gasoline is going to destroy the Earth!!! Quick – get me those chains from the Subaru! We’re gonna chain ourselves to these pumps of death until they stop polluting our PRECIOUS PLANET!! [singing] We shall overcome…we shall overcome…”
@ur momisugly Frank K. — LOL. And, yes, it WOULD be a Subaru.
So should I assume that McKibben and all the 350.orgers don’t drive cars?
@Bob Johnston – no, they just ride with other people that are “going there anyway”.
@ur momisugly Mac the Knight in Shining Armor — have a good (and peaceful) lunch break. #(:))
Should they not quantify it somehow to really drive the message home? For example: Burning your next tankful of gasoline will cause the global temperature to be higher by 0.0000000001 F in 100 years in the worst case scenario.
further to Les Johnson @ur momisugly 10:48 am
(sarc)
It’s even worse than that. Did you know that everyone who ate a carrot more than 120 years ago is now DEAD! That’s right, it’s a 100% correlation. We must take steps to ban the carrot before it can kill again.
(/sarc)
I’m reminded of a interview with the resident of a very poor area where there was a mine and a very high cancer death rate. The interviewer asked one of the village elders if he was aware of how cancer (supposedly caused by the mining activities) were now the leading cause of death. “Yes, isn’t it wonderful,” was the reply. “My grandchildren aren’t starving anymore, They can live long enough for cancer to get them.” It’s wonderful that our society is so rich that we can afford to question the very engines of prosperity and health that we enjoy.
Ony in California can a car be falsely labelled as a zero emission vehicle. How about a class
action lawsuite that sues Gov Brown and California govt for false and misleading claims or consumer fraud?
“I keep hoping environmental zealots will be forced to wear a warning label.”
Not a warning label, but a sandwich board whilst standing on street corners all over the country, with “The End Is 95% Nigh” printed in large letters.
Hopefully everyone will get the message that they are genuinely crazy.
@Mark McGuire – and on the opposite side, it would say “97% of Doctors agree”.
andrewmharding says: @ur momisugly January 10, 2014 at 11:10 am
… Of course nothing can compete with the warning on a bag of peanuts “WARNING, this product contains nuts”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
ERRrr, “Peanuts” are not tree nuts. Despite its name and appearance, the peanut is not a nut, but rather a legume. and grows underground.
Hi Gail agree totally with you! BUT here in the UK, nut allergy is a massive problem for many people and they are usually allergic to all nuts (including coconuts) and peanuts.
Unfortunately we have a huge health and safety industry here, but telling consumers that a bag of peanuts contains nuts, is overkill.
Like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut!! (Sorry, couldn’t resist that one!)
Sometimes I feel like you all are taking unfair potshots at the state I live in. Then I remember I’m moving to NV because the state I live in is disconnected from reality. And I don’t understand why all my rational friends aren’t trying to get out, too (including Anthony). This is the state whose US Represetative said we had to pass a bill to find out what was in it. You all should watch L.A. Story. It captures us so well – our architecture, history, education, immaturity, irrationality, insanity. If it weren’t for the maroons in Sacramento and the maroons we send to Washington, D.C., this place would be paradise.
I still hang on to hopes we try to ban dihydrogen monoxide. If any state could, it would be California.
“And, given that California’s governor Jerry brown was recently scared shitless at AGU by a hyped up presentation by Penn State’s Dr. Richard Alley, he’ll probably help these folks get it into law.”
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Really, I would never have tried to get that word thru moderation.
FYI, “Another Smokey” is running at Tampa Bay Downs in 3 minutes. (9-2 odds)
If the McKibbenites truly want Californians to consume substantially less gasoline, they should be lobbying Governor Brown and the state legislature to raise the state gasoline tax by $2 per gallon, by $3 per gallon, or by whatever dollar figure might be necessary to reach their desired reduction targets. Anything less than that is mere pandering to California’s environmental activist community.