When people ask me why they should pay more for a #EV than for a #GasCar, and I tell them that's partially because the costs of #gasoline are largely hidden from consumers, as so clearly laid out in this piece from #Grist :
https://grist.org/accountability/gas-stations-underground-storage-tank-leaks-environmental-disaster/
#ElectrifyEverything #ElectricCars #ElectricVehicles #EnvironmentalDisaster
Whilst billions of EVs on the roadkill network will clean up our local air, why do you believe that billions of EVs (that will eventually have to be replaced) will mitigate climate change?
EVs are made from metals & plastics. Mining for metal burns fossil fuels. (Crude Oil) Plastic is made from fossils fuels. Extracting fossil fuels burns fossil fuels.
EVs are made by burning Fossil fuels (resources & power to manufacture)
What about the roadkill network in which fossil fuels are burnt to construct, maintain?
The reason why your statement was misleading (probably not intentional, but..) is because you stated "EVs of all kinds".
@Empiricism_Reloaded @giamora To mitigate climate change is a good thing, right?
Knowing how to & doing the actions that would mitigate climate is what l have dedicated most of my adult life to.
If you want to mitigate climate change - the general solution https://qoto.org/@Empiricism_Reloaded/110511036586999020
Wrong actions = mining the sea bed for resources so EVs, etc. can be made.
Redistributing resources (metal) & focusing on EV public transport & EV bicycles (small EV vehicles) is part of the general solution.
Billions of private EVs on a roadkill network isn't #Degrowth
@Empiricism_Reloaded @giamora First off, 1 billion EVs vs 1 billion gas cars IS degrowth, as they are way less resource heavy and strain the climate way less.
That said, it is not enough, but I still get frustrated that
1) We need people to buy new EVs instead of new gas cars and
2) We need people to use public transport instead of buying cars
are presented as conflicting ideas. They are not. We can try to do both.
@Empiricism_Reloaded @giamora Also, should 2 fail, we have at least done SOME. Not trying to replace new gas cars with new EVs is EXACTLY what the oil industry wants! (and the auto industry for that matter, the are not doing EVs because they want to but because they have to)
We need fewer cars, we need smaller cars, and we need cars to be EVs instead of gas cars, and we need to be able to work for all of those points, not just one.
To be clear. I'm 100% in favor of 100% replacing ALL the vehicles that burn fuels - as burning fuels (e.g., Diesel, Petrol, Biofuel, wood fuel [which is a biofuel]) emits nasty air pollution that harms people and the planet (biosphere).
I'm just stating the obvious. We can't solve one problem by making another (mining) problem worse (& mining & transporting those metals also use fossil fuels)
Almost 400 new mines needed to meet (only near term) future EV battery demand, data finds https://techinformed.com/almost-400-new-mines-needed-to-meet-future-ev-battery-demand-data-finds/
An EV train users less (where less is more) resources and power to be manufactured and less (where less is more) resources to get 100 people from point A to B.
That's generally what is meant by degrowth. Using fewer resources to do generally the same activities.
"We need people to use (EV) public transport instead of buying cars"
Agreed ( & bicycles and EV bicycles as they're relatively a low resource and energy-efficient way to travel)
"We can try to do both"
The Planet can't sustain both. However, let's be real. Neoliberal (business people that promote more of their business) politicians and industries are promoting growth (more EV sales, More Aviation, more consumerism, etc = More ecological destruction)
Solution https://qoto.org/@Empiricism_Reloaded/110565446073239160
@Empiricism_Reloaded @giamora I use train to and from work, but I still need a car to get to the station. Ditching cars is not an option for many, unless you live in a city it is generally not doable.
I wish there could be a focus on smaller cars though. They require smaller battery and less resources. Sadly the industry wants everyone to drive SUV or trucks.
If we are to develop an ecologically sustainable culture we will have to use some imagination regarding how that culture can be. Because, the lifestyles of the current culture are not sustainable.
A change of general culture is what we will do (eventually)
I too try to use the best of the available lower greenhouse gas options.
Check out the Welsh Governments well-being of Future Generations Policies https://www.gov.wales/well-being-future-generations-act-essentials-html
#futuregen #book #sustainable development
@Empiricism_Reloaded @giamora If we build a sustainable ecological culture, our capitalist driven society will collapse. We are dependent on growth to maintain our financial security.
Of course, this is not maintainable, but people are more scared of being poor now than suffering in a few years.
Economy has gotten more tight now, and people are shifting from green towards blue politics because they think it will help them.
So I guess we are screwed :/
As mentioned. The welsh government has policies that are advocating that people buy & develop land sustainably. This is happening within a capitalist economy.
The more countries that adopt a similar approach to Wales, the more people take the path towards sustainable lifestyle, rather than, for example, telling folk "we are screwed" on social media, the less "screwed" we will be.
@Empiricism_Reloaded We had this in Oslo as well, but they are most likely being voted out.
We CANNOT solve this problem within the capitalistic framework. It is too tied to growth, capitalism must be extremely regulated for this to be possible and social wealth distribution must be at a level where we can no longer really call it capitalism.
Too many have invested too much to want to give this up.
We are not less screwed by pretending this issue doesn't exist.
Oh, CAPITALS, why didn't you just phrase it that way the first time, then more folk would of believed you :)
@Empiricism_Reloaded I think EVs of all kinds — including fleet vehicles, bikes, scooters, and more — play a role in halting the worst effect of the climate crisis. They do not burn fossil fuels, which scientists have shown is the major cause of climate change. And while the tech is far from perfect, it’s a major step in the right direction to keep our planet habitable.