What About Jobs? The future of vehicle manufacturing lies with fuel-efficient vehicles. If Land Rover wants to be successful and retain its workforce then it will have to focus on improving the fuel efficiency of its vehicles. There is no reason why they shouldn't sell cars to the urban market but these should be smaller, lighter, safer and much, much more fuel efficient than Land Rover Discoveries or Range Rovers. In the US, where overall vehicle sales are up, Ford's are falling. The company is in big trouble because high oil prices are affecting sales of gas-guzzling 4x4s, which form the cornerstone of Ford's Fleet. In the last year sales of SUVs in the US have dropped by 20%. On the other hand, sales of Asian maunufacturers' vehicles, renowned for higher fuel efficiency, have soared. To protect jobs, Land Rover should put itself at the forefront of making more climate friendly cars.

What car should I drive? There are lots of fuel efficient cars on the market. Manufacturers now offer a new range of cleaner vehicles such as petrol electric hybrids that can travel up to 60 miles, or more, on a gallon of petrol. You can also convert your existing petrol or diesel vehicle to run on cleaner fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to save money

But people have the right to buy these vehicles if they want them: According to the WHO, climate change is already kiling 150,000 people every year. Surely the right to drive a totally inefficient vehicle does not outweigh the rights of these people. Everyone one of us has the a responsibility to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we emit. This includes using less energy including more fuel-efficient cars and driving less.

But My Land Rover/4x4 is safer: No it isn't. Because of their height and the way they are made, SUVs are actually more dangerous than the average car. The driver of an SUV can see less of the road and the size and weight of an SUV means that they have more of an impact in a crash. A 2004 US federal traffic data report shows that people driving or riding in a SUV are nearly 11% more likely to die than people in ordinary cars. SUVs are more than twice as likely to be involved in a fatal rollover as ordinary cars.

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