Tracy Turner

Governor Gavin Newsom's recent executive action to ban the sale of gas-powered string trimmers and leaf blowers in California is generally considered a 'good' start for emissions reductions from small engines. But the initiative puts into sharp focus a paradox in a state--and a world--where an increasing number of people are opting for high-horsepower, gas-guzzling SUVs. And though the effort to reduce small-engine emissions might produce some modest environmental dividends, the more significant problem--the massive fuel consumption and resource depletion triggered by the SUV culture--remains essentially unaddressed. While California is at the forefront of all environmental policies, there is a complete disconnection from small-engine environmentalism to large-scale ecological impact with the same kind of vehicles their citizens cherish.

This problem is not confined to California or even the United States.

It's a global issue. Increased demand for gas-guzzling SUVs worldwide and massive pollution due to lithium battery production and disposal add to global energy crises and increase starvation risks by removing crucial agricultural resources.

Although SUVs are marketed as rugged outdoor individualists’ vehicles, they are mostly purchased by the Pringles/Mountain Dew/Cheetos Diabetes Crowd. Insecure women driving around alone, with visions of soccer moms dancing through their heads. Even the movie Robocop took a swipe at the aggressive, intimidating, consumptive crowd (in the movie the vehicle SUX 6000 and the board-game Nuke’em, you nuke them before they nuke you. SUV drivers throttle you before you can throttle them, a sadistic addiction from the SUV Clotaire Rapaille Reptilian Brain, fight or flight syndrome. The thrill of cutting someone off in a 6,704 lb. Jeep Grand Wagoneer via throttle addiction (the SUV Clotaire Rapaille Reptilian Brain) is more important than eating tomorrow.

The unexpected consequence of our worldwide addiction to SUVs, put together with the waste of electric vehicle batteries in the future, is a perfect storm that imperils food security and, by extension, the survival of billions of people.

The SUV Crisis: A Driving Force Behind Global Resource Depletion and Environmental Collapse

In the United States alone, more than 55% of households own at least one SUV. Just in California, which has more SUVs than any other state in the country, they account for a large percentage of the state's overall fuel consumption. This trend, replicated worldwide, has brought disastrous environmental results to our energy and food systems.

Energy Resources Affected by High Horsepower SUVs
To better understand this crisis regarding energy consumption, let us examine the consumption of several popular SUVs and what the eventual depletion of oil resources may have on food production concerning global starvation.

The following is some important information about SUVs' ecological footprint:

1. Fuel Inefficiency: Most SUVs are known to be highly fuel-inefficient, getting only about 15-20 MPG. These vehicles consume immense amounts of petroleum, leading to oil shortages and diverting vital resources that could be used in more sustainable sectors like agriculture.
2. Size and weight: the standard weight range for an SUV is 4,500-6,000 lbs. This heft and the sizeable frontal surface area make these vehicles very poor in aerodynamics. SUVs, by design, are boxy or sail-like, pushing immense amounts of air and squandering fuel at every mile traveled. Aside: The weight and height of SUVs also increase the risk of severe injury in accidents, especially rollovers. One of the most dangerous outcomes is spinal cord separation, a catastrophic injury that can result from the violent forces of an SUV overturning. The higher center of gravity and bulky design make SUVs more prone to tipping, causing greater trauma in crashes.
3. Global Consumption: Millions of SUVs in the US alone drink billions of gallons of gasoline yearly, meaning the global oil reserve is being depleted rapidly. Energy being used to feed these vehicles could be better utilized for more critical reasons: production, particularly fuel consumption, was made more efficient.
4. Agricultural Impacts: Fossil fuels, especially the gasoline and diesel used in agriculture to power all manner of machinery-from tractors to harvesters, transportation, manufacturing vital inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides-have broad usage. As more use is made by inefficient vehicles, less will be available for the agricultural sectors that feed the world.
5. Oil and Food Insecurity: Oil and food production are inversely related. The more oil used for personal transportation; the less oil used in agriculture. As we burn limited supplies of fossil fuels to power SUVs, we will increase the likelihood of food shortages, driving up world hunger rates and famine.

The Math of SUV Fuel Consumption and Its Impact on Food Resources

Now, let's examine the mathematics involved in SUV fuel consumption and how that relates to food security.

SUV Fuel Consumption

The average US driver covers about 30 miles daily- a standard estimate. In one year (365 days), that's 10,950 miles per vehicle. Now, let's calculate the annual fuel consumption for a range of popular 2023 SUVs:

• Chevrolet Suburban
• Fuel economy: 17.5 MPG (combined)
• Annual distance: 10,950 miles
• Gallons of fuel = 10,950 miles ÷ 17.5 MPG = 626 gallons/year

• Ford Expedition
• Fuel economy: 19.5 MPG (combined)
• Gallons of fuel = 10,950 miles ÷ 19.5 MPG = 562 gallons/year

Toyota Land Cruiser
• Fuel economy: 15 MPG (combined)
• Gallons of fuel = 10,950 miles ÷ 15 MPG = 730 gallons/year

• JEEP Grand Cherokee
• Fuel economy: 16.5 MPG (combined)
• Gallons of fuel = 10,950 miles ÷ 16.5 MPG = 664 gallons/year

• BMW X5
• Fuel economy: 17.5 MPG (combined)
• Fuel consumption in gallons = 10,950 miles ÷ 17.5 MPG = 626 gallons/year

• Honda Pilot
• Fuel economy: 23.5 MPG (combined)
• Gallons of fuel = 10,950 miles ÷ 23.5 MPG = 465 gallons/year

Multiply those numbers by, let's say, 55%, on the assumption that's how many families in the US have at least one of those guzzlers, and a total of 186 million SUV owners were burning an average amount of 600 gallons annually from model to model. That equates to about 111.6 billion gallons annually consumed in the US alone from these SUVs.

Assuming the same trend in other major markets worldwide, such as China, India, and Europe, the total amount of fossil fuels burned by SUVs is absolute, further accelerating the depletion of the global oil supply.

Agricultural Resource Depletion and Starvation: The True Cost of Gas-Guzzling SUVs
This comes at a terrible cost in agricultural resources: the burning of this gasoline. The more the world's oil supply is depleted by overconsumption from inefficient vehicles like SUVs, the less it is available to power agriculture. Thus, the machinery that grows, harvests, and transports the crops requires fuel that is becoming ever scarcer. Once again, fossil fuels manufacture fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals, on which billions rely to be fed.

However, one of the most apparent issues would have to be food and the inevitable price rise due to transportation and lower agricultural yield. This will predominantly affect poor countries whose populations struggle at or near the subsistence level. Oil, as was said to be the life of agriculture, constantly experiences a dwindling supply as the situation deteriorates globally, with agricultural yield decreasing correspondingly.

Lithium Battery Pollution and the Future of Food Insecurity

To make matters worse, electric vehicles are not free from their share of problems. As clean as EVs are in terms of emissions, producing lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, buses, and other vehicles creates its own environmental issues.

The lithium, cobalt, and nickel in EV batteries result in toxic pollution and degradation of the environment, while these batteries, at the end of their generally 8 to 15-year life-accepted period, find their way to landfills. It's estimated that, before 2040, about 50 million metric tons of lithium-ion battery waste will be produced globally, causing heavy pollution in landfills to persist for hundreds of years. This introduces a new form of environmental burden, thereby increasing the global resource crisis.

The resulting lithium pollution, coupled with the toxicity of the discarded batteries themselves, will ensure

1. Oil Dependency for Global Food Production:

We can understand here that oil is crucial in the whole food production, processing, and transportation chain. Just about everything agricultural in nature involves the use of fossil fuels—from farm machinery to the transporting of food across the world. The global population, for the year 2025, is estimated at about 8.7 billion people, many of whom rely on oil daily for food production. This alone heightens the immediacy of oil depletion.

2. Global Oil Consumption and SUV Contribution:

• World Oil Reserves (2025): 1.7 trillion barrels
• Global Oil Consumption: About 100 million barrels per day, or roughly 36.5 billion barrels per year.

Considering that the SUV crisis and fuel consumption patterns are major drivers of oil depletion, let’s assume 25% of global oil consumption comes from SUVs.

• SUVs Annual Global Oil Consumption:
  
  36.5 billion barrels × 25% = 9.125 billion barrels/year just for SUVs.

Now, do the math to see how long the oil supplies will last at this rate:
1.7 trillion barrels ÷ 9.125 billion barrels/year = 186 years—if we only burned oil for SUVs at this level of consumption.

However, since oil consumption is increasing, this timeline will shrink, so we estimate that oil reserves may be gone in ~26 years with current demand.

3. Food Security and Oil Dependence:

Oil and Agriculture:

• Oil is crucial for running farm machinery (tractors, harvesters, etc.), producing fertilizers and pesticides, transporting food, and processing it.
• 8.7 billion people rely on oil for agricultural productivity. If oil becomes scarce or too expensive, agricultural production will suffer, and food prices will rise.

Breakdown of Oil Use in Agriculture:

• Farm Machinery: Tractors, harvesters, and irrigation systems use diesel and gasoline.
• Fertilizers: Natural gas is a by-product of petroleum and is essential in fertilizer production.
• Transportation: Trucks, ships, and trains that move food to market use diesel and gasoline.
• Food Processing: Most factory and warehouse storage also depend on fossil fuels.

As oil consumption reaches unsustainable levels, it will become too costly for poor countries to produce food.

4. Effects of Oil Depletion on Food Prices:

As oil supplies diminish, food production will become more expensive, and transportation and machinery costs will contribute significantly. The poor will be hardest hit, especially in developing countries that depend on oil to produce and distribute food.

Fuel Prices and Hunger:

• As oil prices rise, agriculture becomes less efficient, resulting in lower yields, which in turn increases food prices.
• 8.7 billion people depend on oil-dependent food systems, and as oil prices skyrocket, food prices will also rise, pushing basic foods out of reach for many, particularly in developing nations.
• Famine will increase due to a lack of food in the most vulnerable populations.

5. Mathematical Estimation of Hunger Increase:

Assuming 345 million people experience food insecurity by 2025, experts argue that increasing oil prices, due to rising demand and the depletion of supplies, could double this figure by 2050, particularly in countries already near subsistence.

Food Insecurity Projections:

• Current Global Hunger (2025): 345 million people experience food insecurity.
• Projected Hunger by 2050 (Oil Shortage Impact): If we estimate that oil depletion doubles food insecurity, over 700 million people could face hunger.

This number is conservative and could be worse if agricultural production declines or if global oil prices rise sharply, making food production unsustainable in certain regions.

6. Oil Depletion in 26 Years and Starvation:

If oil continues to be consumed at this rate and runs out in the next 26 years, around 2051, it could lead to high rates of global hunger. Let's see how this would impact the 8.7 billion people—almost the entire global population.

Global Hunger Projection by 2050:

• 700 million to 1 billion people facing severe food insecurity by 2050, and possibly more.
• Starvation risks will increase, especially in regions dependent on oil-powered agriculture.
• Prices for essential goods (wheat, rice, corn) could increase 5-10 times in some regions, making them unaffordable for billions.

7. Final Calculation:

If 8.7 billion people depend on oil for food, and oil runs out in ~26 years, we’re facing an imminent crisis. By 2050, with accelerating oil depletion:

• Oil will become far more expensive by 2040 due to lack of supply.
• Agricultural yields will likely drop because of reduced fuel for machinery and fertilizers.
• Food prices will skyrocket, and up to 1 billion people may face starvation or extreme malnutrition.
• Hunger rates will nearly double, putting billions at risk of starvation.

The numbers are stark:

• 8.7 billion people depend on oil for food.
• In 26 years, when oil is depleted, food prices will soar, agricultural productivity will decline, and severe food shortages will occur.
• By 2050, between 700 million to 1 billion people could face starvation or extreme hunger, making this a global emergency.

This SUV crisis, combined with fossil fuel consumption for personal transportation, represents the most immediate threat to the global food system. Without rapid intervention—by transitioning to renewable energy sources and drastically reducing fossil fuel consumption—billions of lives are in jeopardy. This is not a crisis wherein starvation begins 26 years from now, starvation is with us now. Millions starve, so others can put gas or diesel into their Hummer.

Catherine cruised down the highway, her SUV's motor purring, the gas gauge full-of course. Outside, the world seemed distant, irrelevant. The Smiths and Joneses had their struggles, but that was their problem. She was above it all, cocooned in a bubble where every whim was met with a tap or a swipe. To this world, the sustained drone of her motor the score, wasn't as much a bother as, in reality, the dying farms, depleted oil, or a collapsing system feeding her convenience. Clotaire Rapaille's SUV theory came to mind: they were not just vehicles; they were an extension of the reptilian brain, offering safety, power, and control-instinctual needs rooted in survival. The acceleration beneath her wasn't just speed anymore; it was confirmation. The collapse around her was no more than a background to her drive, a world in flames she need not confront.

####

https://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Voices.php/2025/01/25/the-suv-crisis-urgent-global