A couple weeks back, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, at a roundtable with reporters, casually mentioned that he thinks global warming is a "crock of shit." (His point was that it makes sense to develop an all-electric vehicle either way.)
Lots and lots of people, mainly bloggers, got in a huge uproar about it.
Yesterday, Lutz wrote a defiant post on GM’s blog addressing the controversy. His point is that it doesn’t matter a bit what his personal beliefs are; what matters is what he does, and what GM does. And he claims GM is on the ball:
General Motors is dedicated to the removal of cars and trucks from the environmental equation, period. And, believe it or don’t: So am I! It’s the right thing to do, for us, for you and, yes, for the planet. My goal is to take the automotive industry out of the debate entirely. GM is working on just that — and we’re going to keep working on it — via E85, hybrids, hydrogen and fuel cells, and the electrification of the automobile.
…
We’re going forward with these programs because it makes good sense to do so — common sense. If it’s doable, why wouldn’t we do it? It would lead to nothing but good things: energy independence, lower emissions, and better air. Isn’t that what we all want?
I guess as an "environmental blogger" (ugh) I’m supposed to have my ass on my shoulders about this, but I gotta say … I’m with Lutz. Who cares what he thinks?
I’m not in the Thought Police business. It’s not my place to demand loyalty oaths or try to enforce my own sort of orthodoxy. If he wants to be a dimwit on climate science, happy trails to him.
All that matters is what GM does. That’s a perfectly legitimate subject for debate. But what’s in Lutz’s heart? I really don’t care. He’s not my friend, or my debate partner.
