02/03/2007
NEWS STORY
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Despite the PR and the cute smiles, many, particularly in the media, are refusing to take the Honda F1 team's 'earth dream' regards the future of the planet at face value.
There are many who believe that the new environmental image - lest we forget that until the end of last year the team was sponsored, indeed, for many years owned by a tobacco company - is merely a cynical attempt to cover up the team's failure to land a major sponsor. And that marketing guru Simon Fuller has come up with the 'Myearthdream' concept in an attempt to cover up this fact. Indeed, many are openly asking had Honda succeeded in landing a sponsor of the calibre of Vodafone or Emirates whether the 'earth dream' would have seen the light of day.
Clearly, The Guardian is not impressed, and according to an article by David Ornstein, nor is Friends of the Earth, the long-standing environmental lobby group.
According to Ornstein, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will send "about 500kg of CO2 into the atmosphere on each of the 17 grand prix weekends, and about 17 tonnes by the end of the 2007 season". It is claimed that the RA107s "emit around 1,500g of carbon dioxide per kilometre, which is almost nine times more than the amount of the average new road vehicle".
"There is some irony in the fact that Honda is attempting to promote the environment and calling on others to address environmental issues when they are contributing to climate change by participating in what is probably the most polluting sport on the planet," said Friends of the Earth spokesperson Emily Armistead.
According to Ornstein: "The season requires Button and Barrichello to fly around 98,752 miles between their Monaco bases and the race circuits, producing a further 28.638 tonnes of CO2. In total, each driver will generate around 54.383 tonnes of the gas a year.
"The figures exclude the flights made to test destinations and promotional events, the scooters used to get around circuits and the scores of team staff and hundreds of tonnes of equipment they transport around the world."
Fuller claims that the company has undergone a "green audit" and that he has had consultations with both Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.