If you want to save the earth, die now!
A professor at the Wharton School applies some interesting logic to come to the conclusion that bicyclists do more damage to the earth than drivers. While he concedes that biking taxes the environment less than driving, he claims that since cyclists are healthier and live longer, they consume more resources and ultimately do more damage to the planet. Which is definitely a possibility. But even if you disregard the fact that many cyclists are more conscious about environmental issues in general, the main problem with this argument is that it singles out commuter biking as a source of longevity. SUV driving gym members can be just as healthy and live as long as commuting cyclists while polluting the air by circling around the gym parking lot several times to get the closest spot to the entrance.
If we followed the logic of the business school professor, we should all live an unhealthy lifestyle and drop dead as soon as possible to save the earth. And then who would be left to enjoy it?
Do exercisey people really live longer? It’s clear that exercise improves the _quality_ of life, particularly as one ages. But modern healthcare as gotten very good at keeping people with bad hearts and veins and lungs alive for decades. Once you factor in heart-attacks while running, strokes while swimming, and cyclists being squidged by busses, it’s really hard to see the fitties living much longer, if at all.