Will Farrell Storms Norway, Thanks be to God

 It seems that Saturday Night Live alumnus Will Farrell can't help but be funny, whether he's starring in film, or as the theme speaker for graduates at his alma mater. Even when he's serious he is hilarious. His latest gig is a commercial for General Motors in which he heads off with Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina on a quest to prove to Norway that America can trounce the Nordic nation when it comes to electric vehicles. A remarkable 54% of cars sold in Norway are electric because the government offers big breaks to buyers.  A week ago GM, one of the largest vehicle manufacturers in the world, surprised everybody by announcing  that the company will aim to sell only zero- emission cars and trucks by 2035. 

That isn't exactly tomorrow, and while I'm not planning on hurrying the the grave, I could be pushing up daisies by then. Still, this was a huge commitment and will likely put pressure on competitors to step up their game. China has stated that all vehicles in that country with nearly 20% of the world's population will be electric within 15 years, which is also significant. 

GM has a checkered past when it comes to EV's. Back in the mid-90's they developed a vehicle that drivers loved. For reasons no one really understood they not only stopped production but bought back all the cars they'd sold. A decade ago they began selling the Chevy Volt hybrid around the world but dropped in 2019 for the all-electric Bolt. 

As a Groundling, a Christian whose desire is to make the changes in lifestyle which will allow us all to "live with respect in Creation," as our United Church creed declares, I'm hopeful about the development of low-carbon vehicles. Ultimately this will be an economic decision by vehicle makers, with a lot of "green-washing" thrown in. Electric carmaker Tesla is now more valuable than several of the giants of the industry combined, and Elon Musk is supposedly the wealthiest person on the planet. 

I hope that I'm driving a low-carbon vehicle (electric? hydrogen?) before too long and well before the aforementioned daisies. Whenever I drive past the bank of chargers in town with a growing number of Teslas plugged in I am encouraged that it will happen. Oh yes, in the commercial Farrell actually ends up in Sweden.