Look at any opinion poll of important public issues in Canada and the environment is at or near the top.
That's not too surprising, given all the publicity global warming has received, including the award of the Nobel Peace Prize this month to former U.S. politician Al Gore and an international panel of experts on climate change.
Yet this concern is not reflected in the type of vehicles Canadians buy. Figures released by Statistics Canada this week for sales of motor vehicles in August show that purchases of trucks, a category that includes minivans, SUVs and pickups, grew almost 5 per cent that month, while car sales rose a mere 0.8 per cent.
While monthly sales figures tend to fluctuate and don't necessarily tell the whole story, the trend over the longer term confirms a growing preference among Canadians for larger vehicles. In 1992, coincidentally the year of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, trucks, minivans, SUVs and pickups represented 35 per cent of vehicle purchases. By 2006, that figure reached 48.2 per cent.
The evidence is clear: while Canadians tell pollsters that the environment is a top priority and pundits declare it a major political issue, when it comes to buying a new vehicle, green tends to go out the window. Even the Americans, who we like to think are less environmentally friendly than we are, started to rein in their truck purchases in 2005.
Why is this happening?
The booming economy in Western Canada is a factor. Last year, trucks outsold cars in four provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia (the B.C. figures are slightly skewed because they include the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut). Farmers and workers whose job entails driving over rough roads have good reason to buy something heavier than a passenger car and there are a lot of people who fit this description in the West.
But that's only a partial explanation. An overwhelming majority of Canadians – 80 per cent — live in cities, yet almost one out of two vehicles purchased falls into the category of truck.
Movements in gas prices explain some of the difference between Canadian and U.S. buying behaviour. The price at the pump has risen in both countries over the last while, but the impact has not been as strong in Canada because our dollar has been rising at the same time.
This is one of the beneficial impacts of a higher dollar that generally goes unnoticed. But it also means that we are not feeling the same degree of pain as our southern neighbours.
Perhaps because of that, Canadians don't put the environmental merits of a vehicle high on their list of priorities when buying a car. A survey by Maritz Research published this year indicated that environmental friendliness was number 23 on a list of 26 considerations, with value for money in the top spot. Reliability, exterior styling and being “fun to drive” far outranked the green factor.
Only the manufacturer's loyalty program, security features and “ability to accessorize” were lower on the list. (Disclosure: I bought my 1999 Subaru Impreza because its all-wheel drive would be good in an Ottawa snowstorm and gave little thought to how much gas it would consume.) Does any of this mean that we are a nation of hypocrites?
No. But we do seem to be at a bit of a loss when it comes to translating sincere good intentions into action. “There's no blue box for greenhouse gases,” says Darrell Bricker of Ipsos-Reid, who adds that his polls indicate that people don't really understand what they should be doing.
Persuading Canadians to buy smaller vehicles requires action by a number of players. Federal and provincial governments have already taken steps toward encouraging people to buy more fuel-efficient cars. More effort is needed here and worrisome gaps, such as the federal exemption granted pick-up trucks, should be closed.
Better public transit and more cycle paths would reduce vehicle use altogether, especially if coupled with fewer or more expensive parking facilities in congested downtown cores. So government has a role to play, although not everything can be laid at its door.
Automobile manufacturers could provide a greater variety of less-energy intensive cars at reasonable prices. The number is growing, but not fast enough.
Finally consumers have to do a better job of informing themselves, not just about the environmental impact of their vehicle, but also about the merits of newer models on the market. Transport Canada posts a good deal of information on its website.
There's an old saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions. Right now, a good number of Canadians are driving down that road in their trucks, minivans, pickups and SUVs.
© The Globe and Mail
