A set of tires will shed about 30 pounds of rubber pasted onto the roadway over their lives. A typical gas exhaust will produce 18 metric tons of CO2 over the same distance.
This comparison is a huge distraction. One might as well complain that tires produce infinitely more steel belted waste as compared to exhaust.
C02 has some impact / ton that is different than the impact / ton of rubber particles. The fact that cars produce different numbers of the two is in itself meaningless.
This comparison is a huge distraction. One might as well complain that tires produce infinitely more steel belted waste as compared to exhaust.