Hummer, or as David Hirsch of Friends of the Earth calls it “the most anti-environmental vehicle in the history of the world”, might soon become a thing of the past, at least in the US. The drastic fall in demand for the vehicle has compelled General Motors – its owner, to consider various options that include selling the brand or its complete overhaul. The drop in demand comes as no surprise, given the paltry mileage (10-15 miles a gallon) that Hummer has to offer coupled with the rising gas prices. GM has also shut down four factories in North America and is moving towards the production of hybrid and electric cars.
So anyway, when I read about the not-so-certain future of the Hummer, I was both happy and spooked. Happy to see, what is probably the biggest gas-guzzling monstrosity, being pushed into obsolescence (in any case, to see something that you wouldn’t have been able to afford in a million years fade into oblivion, does give you a degree of sadistic pleasure, admit it). But I was also spooked. For a long time we have all been ranting about the catastrophic effects of global warming, melting ice bergs, sky rocketing gas and food prices, among other environmental problems- but somehow they were always viewed as problems of the future. But to see GM- allegedly the killer of the electric car and public system of transportation in the US, cave under the pressure of a gas shortage, makes you realize that the “future” is here. And it doesn’t look too good.
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