California uses more gasoline than China. Sheeit.....

[cliffordu]

"Given all the news coverage about the rise of the Chinese economy, you could be forgiven for thinking that the world's most populous country is hogging all the world's resources, while the developed nations are fighting for scraps.

But, at least with transportation fuel, you'd be wrong. California alone uses more gasoline than any country in the world (except the US as a whole, of course). That means California's 20 billion gallon gasoline and diesel habit is greater than China's! (Or Russia's. Or India's. Or Brazil's. Or Germany's.)"

More here:

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/07/amazing-stat-ca.html

[Retrograde]

1. California is also larger than many countries

both in size and population. I'd like to see the numbers on a per-capita basis, along with percentages used for private transportation vs other uses.

[taterguy]

3. Per capita I'm guessing it has China beat

But that's just a guess

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

4. Uhh... there are over a billion people in China.

Four times the population of the United States. So I'm pretty sure it's bigger than the population of California.

[11 Bravo]

10. You do know what per capita means, don't you?

Most Americans own a car. A vast majority of Chinese do not.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. essentially "per head."

"Most Americans own a car. A vast majority of Chinese do not."

Ergo, they'd use less gas per capita.

:shrug:

You do know what it means, right?

[11 Bravo]

14. My bad. I thought you were responding to post #3. I didn't notice that you were replying to post #1

:dunce:

[Captain Hilts]

2. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PBS Poll-435]

5. 7th largest economy in the world

And a very large geographic area.

This is not news and it is not surprising.

[Greyhound]

18. As recently as 2001, it was fifth.

Them republik fellers sure know how to make steal money.

[ReadTomPaine]

6. California ranks anywhere from 7th to 10th in terms of the largest world economies.

The state provides something like 10-20% of the entire US GNP. It's a leader in agriculture, entertainment, technology, education and other major industries. It pays far more into the treasury than it's given back by the federal government and is more conservation minded and ecologically oriented than most of the rest of the USA and likely many of the countries listed above.

California may have its problems, but it gives far more than it takes.

[Occam Bandage]

7. *shrug.* California has a developed automobile transportation network. China

has a rapidly expanding automobile market, but "rapidly expanding" tends to mean "still comparatively small." Anyway, article is a bit misleading for two reasons:

1. The problem is not that China is using a large amount of fuel per se, but rather that the amount of fuel that it uses is increasing faster than increases in worldwide production can sustain, thus causing a large increase in fuel prices. I am not "blaming" China in stating this; China's impact could be easily negated if the United States were to both implement sensible consumption-decreasing efficiency standards and invest in renewable/nuclear energy.

2. The article does not mention China's usage of other oil-derived fuels, nor natural gas, nor coal, nor for that matter any other resources whatsoever. China's automobile infrastructure is expanding rapidly, yes, but only because her industrial infrastructure is expanding even more quickly.

[hendo]

8. hooray for California

yet another reason to not like that state.

ya know, i was looking all over for the appropriate thread to hit 1000 posts on, and this is just as good as any.

Maybe we should raise the price of gas in Cali more to discourage driving and encourage more carpooling and public transportation.

Ya know, here I thought california was leading the US in environmental responsibility, but damn.

[ReadTomPaine]

11. The economy of California is eight times larger than the state listed in your profile.

California is also the fifth largest food producer in the world - the industry is twice the size of next largest US contributor. The state has been paying more to the federal government than it has been receiving back in services for over 20 years. Without California's massive economic engine and exports to carry the country along, many smaller states would simply cease functioning properly. Yet despite this, California is one of the most ecologically sensitive places to live in the nation, with leading edge legislation on the issue. This isn't even touching on the civil rights leadership, artistic contributions, technological advancements etc. etc. the state has made both in recent times as well as the past.

As I said above, California has its share of problems, but if the rest of the country were more like it, we would be living in a better, wealthier and yes, more Democratic nation. There aren't too many other places in the US, or the rest of the world for that matter, that can claim similar accomplishments.

[hendo]

15. I love how you say that

as though it is something I should care about. i choose not to live in California. In fact a good portion of this country chooses not to live there. perhaps we have a reason for doing so.

[Starry Messenger]

17. Thank you!

God, the things one reads on this board sometimes.

MPK

[KamaAina]

13. The Bay Area has some of the best transportation in the country

even car-dependent SoCal has added subways and commuter rail in recent years.

Also, SF beat out NYC and Boston as the most walkable city in the country.

[hendo]

16. and I applaud them on that

SF is actually a pretty nice place, although many of the people weren't all that nice to me the last time I was there.
But, nothing beats fish and chips on Fisherman's Wharf. And, they do have pretty good wines in wine country.

However, having driven in Cali traffic more times than i remember, I have no idea why so many people would want to do that every day.

[Blue_Tires]

9. but that will not be the case for too much longer

as more in the Chinese middle class want their cars...