So Pithy

Apparently Germany is the greenest country on earth (sorry, Ireland):

German use of oil, gas and coal in 2007 fell by 5.6 per cent compared with 2006, according to a new report from BP. Global energy consumption, driven by China, America and India, rose by 2.4 per cent in the same year. -via Telegraph

Spending any significant amount of time in Germany makes clear how Germany has attained such a distinction: incredible public transportation (when the unions aren’t on strike), tiny fuel-efficient cars, recycling, the works.

2008 might not show the same drop, though, if this past weekend is any indicator: untold tax-euros spent driving fellowship-holders back and forth from one building to another when we were all staying in a perfectly good hotel and convention center.

Also, I wonder about the drop from 2006 to 2007. In 2006 Germany hosted the World Cup, bringing huge numbers of fans to the country, teams competing in the tournament, journalists covering it, etc. With venues around the country, a lot of travel was necessary for everybody involved. With all that going on that summer, wouldn’t you expect a drop the next year?