I thought I would write about th past weekend in Montreal, which was all about Grand Prix. I don't know much about cars (nor could I care less about them, really), but the only thing that particularly bugs me is that they're all gas guzzlers. I'm rather certain the Lamborghini Gallardo (seen left) is not available as a Hybrid. As I walked through mobs of people taking pictures of gaudy, immobile cars, I wondered why a city such as Montreal, which is trying to become greener, wouldn't impose some kind of way to respect the environment. Reading the paper on the metro the other day, I fell upon an article dealing with just that, written by Stéphanie Saucier.Saucier writes, "Even if it's impossible, for now, to calculate the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by transportation by plane or by car for the thousands of tourists, the participants and their crew members to Montreal, it is evident that thousands of tonnes have been emitted." Why are we letting this happen every year? Would it help if we made this event take place once every two years? In order to actually accurately calculate the effect of greenhouse gases emitted during F1, we would need the number of of people who have taken the time to get themselves to the event, the mode of transportation used, and their hometown (to calculate distance).
Saucier finally adds (and I was wondering why this reason hadn't come up earlier in her article), "We could also calculate the racecars' energy consumption." I'm glad she brought this up; it was my main argument against F1. What is the point of this weekend? Sure, there are gorgeous cars in different colours, fast speeds, and doors that open all weird, but what is so incredible about watching people drive fast for a couple of hours? Is it the speed? Understandable; I appreciate the speed of a car as much as the next person. Is it the anticipation of crashes? People are fascinated by that stuff. Is it a social event during which during which women hope to meet men? More importantly, why does the city of Montreal invest such efforts in trying to rid our streets of cars to alleviate our roads, while it hosts events such as these that counter any previous intentions?
Alas, there is some hope on the horizon. It turns out that the sole outcome of F1 is not environmental degradation! Apparently, the Grand Prix increased efforts to better deal with any residual matter that may accumulate after the races. "Le Consortium Echo-Logique" (The Eco-Logical Consortium) was on site for the duration of the festival, and actually assured that all recyclable matter be in fact collected and recycled. This certainly looks like it could be a step in the right direction.
To end, I have to say that I was really pleasantly surprised that I found Stéphanie Saucier's article since it essentially addressed the same questions I had been asking myself. I'm glad events such as these, though still socially acceptable, are starting to be questioned. It's kind of like how bull fighting is being questioned in Spain: is it ethical to anger an animal, then kill it progressively in front of thousands of people just for their entertainment? Is it ethical for Montreal to attract people for Grand Prix to the demise of our environment? I think the Grand Prix has its charms, and it's certainly economically beneficial to the city, but maybe reducing the frequency at which it occurs could help decrease unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions.
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The Image is from Google.
The article L'écologie ne remporte pas la pole position was in the Montreal metro newspaper 24 H, on June 14th, written by Stéphanie Saucier.
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