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Some green myths debunked (2)

Is the green gold you are reaping fool's gold?

In a follow-up from my previous article, I continue with some more green myths and the realities.

Myth 16: Plant more trees in the city because they absorb carbon
Reality: The maintenance of urban trees makes it unlikely they are net storers of carbon
(Maintenance of trees through pruning produce emissions that can offset the carbon absorbed by the trees, though these trees can lower costs and energy used for cooling purposes)

Myth 18: Offsets are the answer to climate change
Reality: There's no such thing as a free lunch
(Carbon offsets, such as planting trees elsewhere, to compensate for emissions may lessen guilt but without monitoring, there is no assurance that offsets have truly happened)

Myth 19: Snowy winters equal no global warming
Reality: Weather is not the same thing as climate, even though Donald Trump thinks it is
(Geography students learn that weather does not equate climate, that climate is determined by long-term weather records, so occasional cooler weather does not mean the climate is not getting warmer, whereas it has been proven that the increasingly hotter weather indicates that the climate is warming. Also, what happens locally does not correspond regionally or globally)

Myth 21: I'd never buy an electric car because I'd run out of power and be stranded
Reality: Don't be so paranoid
(To paraphrase / contextualise the example used, if you are not driving from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur frequently, one's distance driven daily is actually quite manageable for the electric car)

Myth 22: Electric cars rated to go 100 miles will make it that far
Reality: It depends where you're driving and when
(Unfortunately, undulating terrain and hot weather can shorten the possible range)

Myth 23: Car air conditioning wastes energy
Reality: Don't sweat it
(Winding down the windows may keep you cool, but the air resistance while driving on the highway could have an impact on fuel consumption)

Myth 24: Hybrids are much better for the environment than regular cars
Reality: Not all hybrids are created equal
(Luxury hybrid cars like some of that of Lexus cannot compare in terms of fuel economy with true blue hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius, even if luxury hybrid cars may be slightly greener than its luxury non-hybrid variants)

Myth 25: Driving fewer miles is good for the environment
Reality: The shortest distance between two points is not always the greenest
(The distance may be short, but if you idle or drive in start-stop traffic, you may end up consuming more fuel that a vehicle traveling longer but always making left turns - meaning there is no need to stop unlike when making right turns at traffic junctions)

Some interesting realities that fly against conventional thinking. Think carefully about what you do for the environment, because sometimes you never know if what you do might unintentionally be less green that you thought.