generating the electrical power that comes into your home creates emissions

Really depends on where you're getting your power from. Hydroelectric dams do not burn fossil fuels...some carbon dioxide and methane can be generated by the reservoirs in some climates if there's decaying plant material in them, but it's nothing like a coal plant.

But yes, "zero emissions from the car, emissions from the production of electricity at your home vary" is different from "zero emissions".

(I grew up in Washington, which is to say, with hydroelectric power. Up here, burning fossil fuels to generate electricity is considered silly / stupid / wasteful / damaging - but the environmental damage from the dams is acceptable. It's one of those topics that can divide a room into Native Washingtonians vs Outsiders quite effectively.)

Edited at 2009-02-05 10:44 pm (UTC)

As if Hanford wasn't already the poster child of How Not To Do Nuclear Anything... ;)

But the emissions from the power plant aren't dumping lots of smog from millions of less efficient little plants all over the city where everyone lives and has to breathe. And a power plant is a single central point attached to an unpopular and deep-pocketed entity that can be put on the hook for cleaning up their act.

And there's also nuclear and hydro; we have a lot of both in Canada. And wind power is coming.