this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2024
146 points (83.2% liked)

Asklemmy

43944 readers
647 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy 🔍

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I've seen a lot of posts here on Lemmy, specifically in the "fuck cars" communities as to how Electric Vehicles do pretty much nothing for the Climate, but I continue to see Climate activists everywhere try pushing so, so hard for Electric Vehicles.

Are they actually beneficial to the planet other than limiting exhaust, or is that it? or maybe exhaust is a way bigger problem?

(page 5) 25 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] z00s@lemmy.world -2 points 10 months ago

It's a diversion tactic. The vast majority of greenhouse emissions come from large companies.

They want us to argue about irrelevancies amongst ourselves to distract from that fact.

Are EVs a net positive for the environment? Maybe. But that's like asking an atomic bomb survivor what they were wearing that day.

[–] blazera@kbin.social -2 points 10 months ago (5 children)

it's actually a pretty simple to figure out carbon footprint for gas powered cars. Gasoline is just a bunch of carbon atoms loosely linked together. You add heat, you add oxygen, and the carbon molecule bonds break in favor of bonding with oxygen to form carbon dioxide/monoxide, and release energy in the process. That's how combustion works. None of the carbon is destroyed in the process, all of the gasoline just gets converted into a gas; a greenhouse gas. Its why cars are the largest source of emissions in the US.

All of that is cut in an EV. With renewable energy sources there doesnt have to be any greenhouse emissions with EV's.

[–] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social -1 points 10 months ago

Gasoline is only part of the picture, however. For one, the chemical reaction by which concrete cures releases CO~2~, and concrete is responsible for 4-8% of emissions globally. Unless we're going to drive those new-fangled EVs on old-fashioned dirt roads, they account for significant greenhouse gases.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] BurntPunk@kbin.social -4 points 10 months ago (3 children)

I’m no expert, but I’ve asked the same question myself.

First off, I’ve been told that yes, exhaust from I.C.E. vehicles is very much a HUGE environmental concern. That being said, however- due to issues with current electrical generation, means that unless large steps are taken toward sustainable green energy, running the current grid for enough to cover charging needs produces a comparatively close amount of pollution per mile driven. On top of that, is the issue with the rare-earth minerals needed to manufacture the batteries used in current EVs, which are extremely damaging to mine, especially in increasing quantities. And finally- once they are worn out, there is no reliably safe way to dispose of those batteries. And the current lifecycle of them averages around 3-5 years, so as more are disposed of, that impact on soil and water tables is projected to skyrocket.

So it’s a many-fold issue, and at the end of the day they aren’t necessarily WORSE than ICE vehicles, but they are also not really any better.

As for why people THINK they are super environmentally friendly? In a word- marketing.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments
view more: ‹ prev next ›