[dangus]

Japan can package up all the snacks they want, they still use far less oil per capita than the USA.

Japan: Approximately 28% of all passenger kilometers are traveled by rail

United States: Rail travel accounts for only about 0.25% of passenger kilometers

Remember: when you drive your 30mpg car to work, 20 miles down the freeway, alone in your vehicle by yourself, you are burning over a gallon of refined petroleum product every single day. You can make a loooooot of plastic bags with that much oil.

Something like 95% of Americans get to work via automobile.

[quickthrowman]

That’s what I’d expect for a country that imports all of its oil and a country that produces more oil than it uses, especially considering the oil importing nation is an island 1/25th the size of the oil rich country, making dense rail transportation easier.

I’d love if the US had better public transport and I could get rid of my car, it costs more per month than my housing (which is admittedly cheap)

[dangus]

I think the US is still a crazy outlier regardless of how much oil they produce.

They use double the oil of the entire EU despite having half the population.

Triple the usage of ASEAN despite having a little less than half the population.

Five times the usage of India despite India having four times the population.

I believe personal transportation is something like half of all oil use globally last I checked.

I don’t even think it’s about getting rid of your car entirely, it’s about a wild amount of dependence and a crazy economic incentive system where a 20mpg work truck has been the most popular vehicle in the country for decades. 100% of trips taken per week needing a car is a big consumption difference than 70% of trips taken per week needing a car.

[LadyCailin]

There’s something to be said for the amount of microplastics that end up in the environment. And also that the comparison isn’t only against the US, there are other countries that lead the way in plastic reduction.

[hunter2_]

Isn't it 2/3 of a gallon plus any cold start inefficiency? But either way your point stands.

[dangus]

20 miles to work = 40 mile round trip.

The average American commute time is something like 20-25 minutes and if that involves highway travel, 20 miles isn’t a crazy assumption.