Will they lakh it? (I think they will)

The United States will soon (relatively speaking) be passed by China and India in terms of overall carbon emissions. That's good for Americans because, well, misery loves company. We won't be the only bad guy and we won't even be the worst bad guy.

Fellow Americans, don't hang your head. We gave it our best shot but the Indians and Chinese are going to overwhelm us with sheer numbers. (If it makes you feel any better, we can expect to hold on to the most carbon emissions per capita metric for a long while.) The middle class in India is currently estimated at 50 million. In less than 20 years, it is expected to grow to over 500 million. That's a lot of people with a lot of money to burn. And when money is burned these days, carbon tends to be burned right along with it.

Lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system denoting 100,000. There is race underway among Indian car manufactures to market the first mass produced 1-Lakh Car. (1 lakh rupees = $2,500) I predict that any and all foresight or fears of consequences (traffic, pollution, petroleum cost & scarcity, inadequate road networks) will be utterly overwhelmed by marketing efforts and the simple lure of self-controlled mobility.

On a more hopeful note, India may also be on the verge of producing a revolutionary improvement in the internal combustion engine. Has Somender Singh, an eccentric former motorcycle racer in Mysore, Karnataka, achieved a miracle armed only with a tinkerer's intuition and a dremel tool?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm suspending publication of this Blog in order to concentrate my efforts on launching a chain of drive up oil change & lube franchises across India.