On Fri, 22 May 2009 15:13:29 GMT, Peter Cole
wrote:

[otherwise excellent post]

America, having invented the car,

Hmmm... I wonder what Gottlieb Daimler would have said about that -
he'd probably agree if you meant the *mass-produced* car.

now needs to save the world from it.

Rest assured, the problem isn't uniquely American. And neither is
resistance to the solution. Much higher fuel taxes and efficient
public transport tend to frighten off most politicians, who are only
interested in the time to the next elections. The forty to fifty year
lifespan of a tram or metro car is of no interest to them.