Your iPod is polluting China and L.A.—and Wyoming might be next

You may have been aware too that in manufacturing your electronic marvel, the Shenzhen plant emitted roughly 25 pounds of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. It’s even possible that you were aware of the 9-10 pounds of CO2 emitted in transporting the device to you from China.

Oh my GOD! 35 POUNDS of CO2 in getting my iPod delivered to me. That’s horrible!

Um, no, not really.

Bbbbut, 35 POUNDS!

Let’s look at that. Of 35 pounds (16 kg), about 9.5 lbs (a little over 4 kg) is Carbon. Two gallons of gasoline contain 11 pounds of Carbon. It sounds like a lot, but realize that driving 10,000 miles a year in a car that gets 25 mpg you dump 4 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Context matters.

Further, the blurb about China burning coal to generate the electricity to do the manufacturing needs to put in context as well. In the United States, the average person uses FOUR TIMES as much electricity as the average person in China. Add to that the China has been aggressively pursuing green energy — they already lead the US in wind energy generation, and are pushing forward in solar while we drag our feet. The US is not “greener than thou” and shifting the blame for pollution/CO2 distracts from the need to get our own house in order.