OK, despite the fact that I am not convinced that mankind (especially in the United States) is the significant cause of global warming, I am among those who take environmental stewardship seriously. So I decided to check out yahoo!'s new "green" category, and take their little carbon footprint calculator (http://green.yahoo.com/?q=calcResults). What a load of baloney that was.

In the first place, I've taken other, better carbon footprint calculators, and the difference between theirs and yahoo!'s was staggering. Yahoo calculates my carbon footbrint at a whopping 22.6 metric tons of carbon a year (average is 9.44). Given that I drive an SUV, I'm sure there are a lot of folks who wouldn't be surprised by that figure. But given that it is substantially higher than other tests I have taken, and given the fact that according to their estimates, the majority (14 metric tons) came not from driving, but from HOME use, the results are suspicious to say the least.

In the first place, as to the vehicle...it simply asked what type of vehicle I drive. It gave me the choice to generically choose "pickup or SUV", which gives a wide range of options. For the record, I drive a 1999 Chevy Suburban. It did not ask me about driving habits, either, which can greatly affect impact. I'm usually the slowpoke everyone's cursing at, driving at a gramma-esque 55 mph, which nets me in the neighbourhood of 20 MPG, not bad for that particular make and model. It would be specious to lump me in with someone driving a Hummer at 70 MPH down the Interstate.

But the home part killed me. It asked how many bedrooms, and how many people live there. It didn't ask about building materials, heating/cooling sources, square footage, appliances, etc, all of which can greatly affect one's impact.

We have compact flourescent bulbs in every fixture, I use LCD monitors, which use less electricity than CRT's, we have a 13 inch television (a 20 inch television uses half the electricity of a 25 inch model...not sure how the 13 inch model compares), we have a front loading energy efficient washer, and while our home has 4 bedrooms, it's not long on square footage.

Reducing one's impact on the environment is a good idea, especially to an old cheapskate like me, as it often involves saving money over the long term as well. But to make up "facts" based on insufficient data, as the environmental movement has so often done is beyond reproach. And it's likely to net a pretty serious backlash.