This post is not to elaborate deep on the issues of carbon credits, emission trading and the deep intricacies of trade in such a contentious industry. You can read about these things by visiting the following links:
Carbon Offset:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offset
Carbon credit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_credit
Emission Trading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissions_trading
Carbon Trade Watch (recommended):
http://carbontradewatch.gn.apc.org/
Carbon trade, carbon markets, carbon colonialism, CDM (clean development mechanism), free market trade of pollution etc. are complex issues. I am not going deep into the ethical, moral, and long term risks that this dangerous market poses to mankind, i need a lot of time to complete my assessment of carbon markets. However i can make one comment with certainty, there is no price that can be associated with our environment!
I have an interesting situation in mind in this futuristic world in which carbon emission units (CO2) can be bought and sold as a commodity not just by large corporations but also by individuals. I create a hypothetical future world in which carbon credits have been extended to individuals too, i.e. regular blokes like you and me have all our activities linked to the carbon trade market and we are able to buy/sell carbon credits proportional to our needs and requirements.
Hypothetically it would be right to say that if i own a car, there would be a carbon offset unit (equal to one tonne of CO2 emission) that would be associated with my car. Now i can buy a car and claim that i use the public transport to reduce CO2 emissions (to satisfy the condition of (sic)additionality) though i would have done so anyway in order to save money! Effectively depending on my car make and model i could save up to three carbon credit for every 1000K (assuming my current car emits 300g/Km of CO2). For every 1000K traveled in the public transport system i rake up 3*355 = 1065USD = ~ 45000 Indian Rupees (carbon unit costs can vary between 10 - 700 USD, taking an average i get 355 USD!).The average cost to just make a trip around bangalore's ring roads (~100Kms) on a BMTC bus would be about Rs30. Cost to travel a total of 1000Kms in BMTC buses ~Rs300. Earnings for having traveled in BMTC on the carbon exchange Rs45000. Whoa i make a windfall profit of 44700! In such a hypothetical future i would love to buy the most polluting car, second hand ofcourse, use it once in a while, become a travelling salesman, and use the public transport for my travels! My income over and above my salary would be ~Rs44700!!!!
Well i must say that the situation that i have described is not a practical one; a lot of simplifications, assumptions and exaggerations have been incorporated. However I believe it does serve the purpose to show why a "carbon market" really does not work out as an "economic incentive" based method to reduce CO2 emissions.
There are a number of contradictions, a number of ethical and philosophical implications for us in making the future of our environment a tradable commodity. It may never work!!!!
Random thoughts, observations and possible balderdash ... All work is (C) Amith Dsouza 2020
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
Two years of owning the Fiat Palio
This is the email i have posted on the PUG forum describing the ownership experience of my Palio 1.6 Sport. On a side note, one of the biggest reasons behind my passion for my my car is the exclusivity that it offers me on Indian roads :) ... i don't think people in general are ready to buy FIAT as yet!
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Posted on the 30th of July 2008
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Posted on the 30th of July 2008
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Two years and 25000 kms later I am glad i never paid heed to the "good" advice of my parents, colleagues and "well wishers" ... My Palio 1.6 rocks!
Car Details:
Model - Palio 1.6 Sport
Color - Formula Red
Date of Purchase - 25 July 2006
ICE - Blaupunkt Muai36 HU + Blaupunkt THx 693 rear ovals + Blaupunkt front
speakers (not really good, but a decent system!).
Odo reading - 25560
Tyres: Michelin XM1+ 185R60 OEM 14inch alloys
Fuel Efficiency -
With AC : Highways - 14-15 City - 8-9
Without AC: Highways - 15-16 City 9-10
Race mode on highway without AC - 11
Max Speed achieved: 160Kmph on 175R65 tyres - Mysore road.
Service Details:
All services done at Concorde Motors Hosur Road Bangalore. The first two services were disastrous, however all the other services and repairs done at Concorde have been good to excellent. The improvement has been close to 100X i would say. The staff is comfortable with FIAT now, the washing and cleaning is almost at par with a Maruti service station and the delivery time punctuality has improved (this service saw me waiting just 30 mins extra compared to the 2.5 hrs on the first service! ;))
Major accident on the 7th of Dec 2006. The front part of the car was severely damaged. After three months of legal wrangles (with the traffic cops) and endless follow-up calls with Mr. Mangesh, got the car out of Concorde Motors fully repaired as good as new (only my beat up old number plate and a slightly misaligned bonnet provide any indication of a major accident). Parts replaced - right panel, bonnet, front bumper, windshield, headlamps, fog lamps, radiator fan, condenser, power steering rod and a host of other parts. Cost of painting
the bumper bonnet and right panel 10,135. Overall costs incurred ~68000. Insurance claimed from TATA AIG covered a major portion and i had to shell out ~10000. Color difference almost none.
Contact persons at Concorde:
Service Lead - Mr. Vijay Kumar
Lead Mechanic - Mr. Adi
Body Shop - Mr. Madhu
Latest service done at Concorde yesterday; spark plugs replaced(OEM), throttle body cleaned, MAP sensor cleaned, wipers replaced (OEM), brakes cleaned and checked.
Car feels and handles as good as new!
Usage and Experience:
The move to buy a 1.6 sport was purely instinctive, on the day i had planned for a XETA test drive i happened to glance at an ad for the 1.6 sport in the papers, twas love at second sight (had fallen in love with the palio at its launch in 2001!). Financial prudence was just thrown to the wind in favour of sheer driving pleasure. I remember the first time i went full throttle against a merc on the inner ring road ... the adrenalin rush, the sense of exhileration and the
thrill of knowing that i kept a merc in my rear view mirror for the entire stretch of the road ...
Have done 4 trips to Udupi, 2 to chikmagalur, 1 to Pondi(with PUG), 1 to ooty and innumerable trips to mysore! Overall i'd say its 50-50 between city and highway driving. The car has never let me down, be it pulling up with ease on the ghats or cruising past bigger vehicles on straight stretches or off-roading on the village "roads" of South Canara! There have been one or two "heart in the mouth" moments thanks to the lack of ABS, but now i have learnt to live with it and drive slower on the highways!
One of the biggest pillars of support in my ownership experience has been PUG! You guys have given me the confidence of knowing that there are people who know the true worth of the FIAT and have not been afraid to make a stand and buy differently to own an exclusive and handsome car on Indian roads. A big THANK YOU to all PUGers with whom i have shared my experiences and had a chance to partake in your experiences albeit via the medium of e-mails!
I guess the car looks good and feels good, good to go for a few more years atleast ... yup, gonna keep this baby with me for a while.
One Helluva happy Palio owner!
Amith Dsouza
Car Details:
Model - Palio 1.6 Sport
Color - Formula Red
Date of Purchase - 25 July 2006
ICE - Blaupunkt Muai36 HU + Blaupunkt THx 693 rear ovals + Blaupunkt front
speakers (not really good, but a decent system!).
Odo reading - 25560
Tyres: Michelin XM1+ 185R60 OEM 14inch alloys
Fuel Efficiency -
With AC : Highways - 14-15 City - 8-9
Without AC: Highways - 15-16 City 9-10
Race mode on highway without AC - 11
Max Speed achieved: 160Kmph on 175R65 tyres - Mysore road.
Service Details:
All services done at Concorde Motors Hosur Road Bangalore. The first two services were disastrous, however all the other services and repairs done at Concorde have been good to excellent. The improvement has been close to 100X i would say. The staff is comfortable with FIAT now, the washing and cleaning is almost at par with a Maruti service station and the delivery time punctuality has improved (this service saw me waiting just 30 mins extra compared to the 2.5 hrs on the first service! ;))
Major accident on the 7th of Dec 2006. The front part of the car was severely damaged. After three months of legal wrangles (with the traffic cops) and endless follow-up calls with Mr. Mangesh, got the car out of Concorde Motors fully repaired as good as new (only my beat up old number plate and a slightly misaligned bonnet provide any indication of a major accident). Parts replaced - right panel, bonnet, front bumper, windshield, headlamps, fog lamps, radiator fan, condenser, power steering rod and a host of other parts. Cost of painting
the bumper bonnet and right panel 10,135. Overall costs incurred ~68000. Insurance claimed from TATA AIG covered a major portion and i had to shell out ~10000. Color difference almost none.
Contact persons at Concorde:
Service Lead - Mr. Vijay Kumar
Lead Mechanic - Mr. Adi
Body Shop - Mr. Madhu
Latest service done at Concorde yesterday; spark plugs replaced(OEM), throttle body cleaned, MAP sensor cleaned, wipers replaced (OEM), brakes cleaned and checked.
Car feels and handles as good as new!
Usage and Experience:
The move to buy a 1.6 sport was purely instinctive, on the day i had planned for a XETA test drive i happened to glance at an ad for the 1.6 sport in the papers, twas love at second sight (had fallen in love with the palio at its launch in 2001!). Financial prudence was just thrown to the wind in favour of sheer driving pleasure. I remember the first time i went full throttle against a merc on the inner ring road ... the adrenalin rush, the sense of exhileration and the
thrill of knowing that i kept a merc in my rear view mirror for the entire stretch of the road ...
Have done 4 trips to Udupi, 2 to chikmagalur, 1 to Pondi(with PUG), 1 to ooty and innumerable trips to mysore! Overall i'd say its 50-50 between city and highway driving. The car has never let me down, be it pulling up with ease on the ghats or cruising past bigger vehicles on straight stretches or off-roading on the village "roads" of South Canara! There have been one or two "heart in the mouth" moments thanks to the lack of ABS, but now i have learnt to live with it and drive slower on the highways!
One of the biggest pillars of support in my ownership experience has been PUG! You guys have given me the confidence of knowing that there are people who know the true worth of the FIAT and have not been afraid to make a stand and buy differently to own an exclusive and handsome car on Indian roads. A big THANK YOU to all PUGers with whom i have shared my experiences and had a chance to partake in your experiences albeit via the medium of e-mails!
I guess the car looks good and feels good, good to go for a few more years atleast ... yup, gonna keep this baby with me for a while.
One Helluva happy Palio owner!
Amith Dsouza
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