Inflation Beats Cash for Clunkers

A nice post by the Green Grok on the outcome of the "Cash for Clunkers" program. I think the estimate is a bit simplistic, as it simply assumes the same amount of miles driven, just by more fuel-efficient cars rather than the old "clunkers," without accounting for the fact that new cars will almost certainly be driven more, and those new cars consumed energy in their manufacture. (Hat tip to the Discovering Urbanism blog for these and other insights.)

But the article is a winner in my book because it compares "Cash for Clunkers" with the less bureaucratically gangly goal of making sure all our tires are properly inflated. This little behavioral "nudge," if we all did it regularly, would lead to 6 times more gas saved and 11 times more CO2 emissions cut! Apparently, inflation is good.