Do EV's actually do anything beneficial for the planet? - eviltoast

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?

  • ringwraithfish@startrek.website
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    10 months ago

    You summarized perfectly the problem I see with the “fuck cars” crowd. They never acknowledge the need for cars in some cases. America’s population centers are definitely large cities where public transportation SHOULD be championed, but there has to be an acknowledgement of the rural population (around 15% in America I believe) where cars are a necessity.

    • Kepabar@startrek.website
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      10 months ago

      The rural population isn’t the issue, it’s suburbia which is where the majority of the US population lives.

      It’s not dense enough for public transportation to be viable and it’s zoned in a way that makes pedestrian traffic a non starter.

      Suburbia causes a lot of problems. I understand why it exists - owning a house with a yard is nice. I personally wouldn’t want to give that up to live in an urban environment if I didn’t have to

    • Uranium3006@kbin.social
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      10 months ago

      but why should that 15% derail conversations about the vast majority of the rest of the country?

        • ZephrC@lemm.ee
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          10 months ago

          So no one should ever be able to have a conversation without patting you on the head for being a special boy at the end of every sentence?

          • howrar@lemmy.ca
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            10 months ago

            More like no one should be demonizing those who do need cars.

            • ZephrC@lemm.ee
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              10 months ago

              Well it’s a good thing no one is doing that then, isn’t it? Why does everyone feel the need to make up problems to whine about?

              For crying out loud I live in a small town and need a car. Do you think I don’t deserve access to decent public transportation?

              • howrar@lemmy.ca
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                10 months ago

                People do do this. Just because you don’t, doesn’t mean no one else does. I’ve had discussions with multiple people trying to convince me that anyone who drives a car is evil.

          • ringwraithfish@startrek.website
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            10 months ago

            Not what I said, but go ahead and make your absurd conclusions. Just for the record, I’m 100% for public transportation, EVs, renewable energy, and getting off the fossil fuel tit.

            If we’re ever going to pull people along the path to that future, we have to accept and acknowledge the exceptions. Not all the time, but don’t ignore it like most articles I’ve read on the topic. I believe division occurs when people feel they are being ignored.

            • ZephrC@lemm.ee
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              10 months ago

              Honestly, I’m part of that 15%, and I feel more excluded by people pretending we can’t have mass transit just because my neighbors like big trucks than I am by people in cities not bringing me and my concerns up every time cars are mention.

              Rural communities got along just fine before the invention of the automobile. In fact, most of the people who have ever lived have been rural people without cars. The idea that we can’t have small walkable towns connected to decent mass transit is just incredibly stupid, and it pisses me off when everybody just assumes it’s unsolvable, moreso when it’s people who actually live here and should know better.

              • ringwraithfish@startrek.website
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                10 months ago

                I agree with the idea of small communities being interconnected with a massive distribution of public transit. I would love to walk everywhere from my daily necessities, but still making it easy to get to larger social centers for other needs. I think that should be the goal we strive for as a society.

    • chunkystyles@sopuli.xyz
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      10 months ago

      They never acknowledge the need for cars in some cases.

      That’s just not true. The movement is about boosting alternative transport. It’s not about eradicating cars.