Thinking about transport solutions today, thanks to Taras Grescoe's post https://urbanists.social/@straphanger/109818174166738398
Mass use of private EVs is often promoted as a vital plank in the fight against global warming. I'd choose one over a fossil fuel car any day, but it's not that simple.
Upgrading 800m fossil fuel cars to 1bn EVs as contemplated by MIT is a long way from being a planetary fix, in fact it's probably enough on its own to destroy it through the mining and manufacturing required, and the resulting atmospheric and other pollution from their tyres and roads alone.
We must decrease our energy use and material footprint, as well as GHG emissions to have any hope of rescuing the ecosystem. As I have pointed out elsewhere I think over-hauling capitalism beyond recognition or dismantling it completely is a pre-requisite for this. #Degrowth
Political change must come before that, and for the will to legislate the following.
So, back to transport and my wish-list...
Design cities and communities around integrated network hubs. Provide safe road and parking space for both rental and personal bicycles and e-bikes, and paths for pedestrians. Invest in and subsidise public transport networks: EV buses, trams and trains for intra-national and continental travel.
Ban personal powered vehicles over 50kg*. Travel to nearest public transport hub by foot, e-bike, or (self-drive) EV taxi. Adding one EV taxi for every 10 private fossil fuel cars removed would be the right order of magnitude.
Recycle all fossil-fuelled vehicles into trains and tracks, and wind turbines. No need for further iron ore mining and smelting, far lower energy cost. Green disposal of car tyres, by the manufacturers and at their expense. Tyres not ground up to mix with chipped trees to fuel subsidised "Biomass" plants as in the US!
Results includes vastly reduced PM2.5 levels due to lower tyre use and fossil fuel use especially coal, and vastly reduced shipping of raw materials, fuel and products globally.
Ban private jets. Heavily tax all travel on today's high-GHG planes to incentivise greener solutions. All long-haul air travel greatly reduced. Travel by current airliners heavily taxed. Transition to whichever technology works best, likely rail in some cases, cleaner electric/hydrogen passenger ships or planes, or airships.
And of course, reduce military use of everything, resources and vehicles included. A whole other mess and one with no solution in sight.
#ecology #environment #GlobalWarming #GlobalHeating #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ClimateBreakdown #Energy #Transport #EV
* Edit (thanks to Steve Easterbrook for clarifying): be sure to classify powered yachts as personal powered vehicles!
npub103…a2j57
2023-02-06 18:12:21
Author Public Key
npub103lwxg4sxy962n793rsp56n708nwk2j0rws3y6wlf2pea8t86nyq9a2j57Seen on
wss://relay.noswhere.comPublished at
2023-02-06 18:12:21Event JSON
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"content": "Thinking about transport solutions today, thanks to Taras Grescoe's post https://urbanists.social/@straphanger/109818174166738398 \n\nMass use of private EVs is often promoted as a vital plank in the fight against global warming. I'd choose one over a fossil fuel car any day, but it's not that simple. \n\nUpgrading 800m fossil fuel cars to 1bn EVs as contemplated by MIT is a long way from being a planetary fix, in fact it's probably enough on its own to destroy it through the mining and manufacturing required, and the resulting atmospheric and other pollution from their tyres and roads alone.\n\nWe must decrease our energy use and material footprint, as well as GHG emissions to have any hope of rescuing the ecosystem. As I have pointed out elsewhere I think over-hauling capitalism beyond recognition or dismantling it completely is a pre-requisite for this. #Degrowth\n\nPolitical change must come before that, and for the will to legislate the following. \n\nSo, back to transport and my wish-list... \n\nDesign cities and communities around integrated network hubs. Provide safe road and parking space for both rental and personal bicycles and e-bikes, and paths for pedestrians. Invest in and subsidise public transport networks: EV buses, trams and trains for intra-national and continental travel.\n\nBan personal powered vehicles over 50kg*. Travel to nearest public transport hub by foot, e-bike, or (self-drive) EV taxi. Adding one EV taxi for every 10 private fossil fuel cars removed would be the right order of magnitude.\n\nRecycle all fossil-fuelled vehicles into trains and tracks, and wind turbines. No need for further iron ore mining and smelting, far lower energy cost. Green disposal of car tyres, by the manufacturers and at their expense. Tyres not ground up to mix with chipped trees to fuel subsidised \"Biomass\" plants as in the US!\n\nResults includes vastly reduced PM2.5 levels due to lower tyre use and fossil fuel use especially coal, and vastly reduced shipping of raw materials, fuel and products globally.\n\nBan private jets. Heavily tax all travel on today's high-GHG planes to incentivise greener solutions. All long-haul air travel greatly reduced. Travel by current airliners heavily taxed. Transition to whichever technology works best, likely rail in some cases, cleaner electric/hydrogen passenger ships or planes, or airships.\n\nAnd of course, reduce military use of everything, resources and vehicles included. A whole other mess and one with no solution in sight.\n\n#ecology #environment #GlobalWarming #GlobalHeating #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #ClimateBreakdown #Energy #Transport #EV\n\n* Edit (thanks to Steve Easterbrook for clarifying): be sure to classify powered yachts as personal powered vehicles!",
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