Clarence Hayes joined Westport’s Representative Town Meeting in 2023. He serves on its Long Range Planning, Environment, Transit and IT committees.
He recently retired from a career in information technology. His final position was senior vice president of global networks at Bank of America.
Clarence Hayes
Clarence has 2 daughters and 5 grandchildren (2 are at Kings Highway Elementary School).
An avid amateur naturalist and walker, he is concerned about the future of the planet — and the environment’s effects on Westport.
He sent this to “06880” in an attempt to join his efforts with “other like- minded residents, to nudge Westport at least a tiny bit towards more environmentally friendly policies and outcomes.” Clarence writes:
As part of my volunteer work in support of the RTM Long Range Planning Committee, I am looking into ways to establish metrics on Westport’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
The first area I analyzed was cars. There is a good data source: the town’s motor vehicle Grand List.
I compared the 2018 and 2023 Lists to determine the level and trend in GHG emissions, and to understand buying habits.
8.6 % of Westport vehicles are low emission hybrid or electric, which is slightly above average for the US. However, Westport has 2.3 cars per household — more than the national average of 2.1.
The latest amenity: a 4-car garage.
And Westport has a higher proportion of large luxury cars and SUVs. This more than offsets the benefit of the higher percentage of hybrids and EVs.
The emissions of the average Westport car are those of a Ford Mustang, Jeep Cherokee or Audi A6: nothing special.
(Click here to look up your car’s emissions.)
Two-thirds of all motor vehicles in Westport were replaced in the last 5 years. Excluding new registrations due to changes in residence, Westporters made 13,591 purchases in this period – 10 cars every business day, non-stop.
And only 1 out of 10 buyers chose a low emission hybrid or electric vehicle.
Our decisions have impact.
- 2023 was the hottest year since records have been kept. The first 4 months of 2024 are the hottest January to April ever recorded — exceeding 2023.
- From January through April, CO2 concentrations increased at a faster rate than they have in the first 4 months of any year since the start of accurate CO2 measurement in the 1950s.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change objective set in 2015 of limiting global warming to 1.5C degrees was breached in 2023.
Westport is among the world’s top climate polluters – higher even than Qatar!
The chart below shows per capita tons of CO2 equivalent per year.
Westport can do better.
Your next car is an easy way to make a difference.
You now have far more choices. There is an EV or hybrid for every need, from a single person driving only locally, to a family with 3 kids and a dog that goes up to Vermont every weekend to ski.
Do you really need a Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon or Chevy Suburban? Will your teenager be emotionally crippled if they don’t get a Jeep Wrangler?
The latest safety research shows that the high hoods of these big vehicles directly correlates with an increase in pedestrian deaths – the opposite of the “Safe Streets and Roads for All” program that our town touts.
Plenty of 7-seaters which are lighter, less polluting, and safer for our streets. Get your teenager a used Nissan Leaf, and make the EV a new status symbol at Staples.
If you want to show off with the biggest, coolest, most expensive car on your block, you can do so in a less polluting manner. You have options!
Mom, 3 kids and a dog can go electric. Be the first on your block — or with a plug-in hybrid.
So, please: With your next car, make a difference … for the climate, and your grandchildren.
(If you have questions, or would like a copy of the data and analysis, email chayes@westportct.gov.)
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PS: Though what I’ve written above is not the most climate-friendly approach, it is better than nothing.
However, it does not take into account:
- Upstream emissions: CO2 emissions from electricity generation, and the extraction/refining of petroleum.
- Manufacture/materials: CO2 emissions from energy consumed in the extraction of materials and manufacture of new cars.
What you should really do to help the climate:
Keep the old car – or buy a used hybrid or EV.
If you have a gas car in good running condition, don’t get rid of it. Take good care of it and keep it as long as possible.
The manufacture of a new car creates CO2 emissions typically equal to at least 50% of the lifetime tailpipe emissions of the car. The longer you keep it, the greater the amortization of those emissions, and the lower total impact to the atmosphere over time.
I have a 22-year old gas car. I maintain it well, and I only drive locally. Manufacturing a new car creates a huge new injection of CO2, vs. the much smaller repeat incremental CO2 from my driving.
Buy the minimum needed.
Whatever you do buy new, fit it to your real transport needs — and keep it as light as possible. For example:
- The Rivian EV creates 122 gmCO2/mile in “upstream emissions” — the same as a Volvo SUV hybrid. The Nissan Leaf EV creates only 88 gmCO2/mile in upstream emissions.
- The Rivian weighs 7068 pounds, versus 3509 for a Nissan Leaf – double the emission impact from manufacture.
(“06880” wants to ensure an environmentally sound future for Westport — and a financially sound one for our hyper-local blog. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Nissan Leaf.
