Bread and CircusesMay 2, 2023

It can be argued that electric vehicles are an improvement when replacing ICE vehicles.

But that misses a much bigger point — which is that the very best car is *not* an electric car. The very best car is no car at all!

Building electric cars requires massive use of fossil fuels, including petrochemicals for the manufacture of plastics. In addition, mining of lithium for batteries as well as trawling for other minerals in the deep ocean is environmentally disastrous, killing biodiversity while polluting our water, soil, and air.

LITHIUM EXTRACTION — https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/02/01/south-america-s-lithium-fields-reveal-the-dark-side-of-our-electric-future

DEEP-SEA MINING — https://climatejustice.social/@breadandcircuses/109814016209990908

The kind of “Green Growth” championed by capitalists and politicians, which features more electric cars, a bit of solar, and a few wind farms — along with continued use of fossil fuels — is not a good answer. It does not solve any of our problems, and in fact only makes them worse.

Say NO to more cars, of any kind. Push instead for active transportation and for improved public transit.

Continued economic growth is unsustainable. Period. The only logical choice for us and for the biosphere is de-growth.

#Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ClimateEmergency #Degrowth #WarOnCars #BanCars

South America's 'lithium fields' reveal the dark side of electric cars

Demand for lithium-ion batteries is unprecedented - but is mining the chemical harmful to the environment?

euronews
Show threadBread and CircusesMay 3, 2023

I like this quote:

“The problem is that electric cars are popular with politicians precisely because they provide an excuse to avoid doing harder things, like rebuilding our cities, or changing the habits of lifetimes. Persuading people to switch from their old gasoline car to a shiny Tesla is much easier than persuading them that they can live without a car. Hence governments are pushing electric cars, often with incentives that make no sense.” - Daniel Knowles, author of Carmageddon

Show threadSusanHRJul 11, 2023

@breadandcircuses I agree but the entirety of western North America was settled after the advent of cars and has few walkable living places and little public transportation. In NYC a car is unnecessary. But on Vancouver Island it is essential.

We have to get around between now and when we build 15 minute neighbourhoods, tram and train lines, and develop public transportation.

Show threadMagnus Ahltorp
@SusanHR In large parts of North America, there were walkable cities with public transportation, it’s just that the infrastructure was torn down. It was a choice. Now there is time for another choice.
Jul 15, 2023 at 3:25pmWeb
Show threadSusanHRJul 27, 2023

@ahltorp Eastern North America is still like that i.e. New York City, Montreal. But Edmonton was not like that since it was a town. The western parts of North America were sparsely settled when the car was invented. The city sprawl comes from that. Out not up. Of course it can be changed. But it is a problem that European and older cities do not have.

If you refuse to recognize the problem you cannot find solutions.

Show threadMagnus AhltorpJul 27, 2023
@SusanHR Los Angeles had 100000 inhabitants at 1900. San Francisco had about 300000. Seattle had 80000. That is not small. Large scale roads were not built until after WWII. The landscape was purposefully changed to subsidize the car. Those subsidies are extremely expensive, both in terms of money and in terms of community.