cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/54245880

The U.S. war with Iran has raised fossil fuel prices so much that the resulting drop in oil demand has put the world on track to see a rare dip in carbon emissions from these sources in 2026.

Between 2019 and 2025, carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels grew by about 0.8 percent annually, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change. But 2026 is set to buck that trend: high oil prices, as well as the continued rise of green technology—solar power, wind and electric cars—will cause a “short-term” 0.4 percent drop, according to the study.

“The high petrol prices following the war in Iran are reducing oil use and keeping emissions low,” says the study’s lead author Corinne Le Quéré, a professor of climate change science at the University of East Anglia in England. “But that’s not the whole story: The expansion of renewable energy has progressed a lot in recent years, led by China. And [along with electric vehicles], this is offsetting two thirds of the growing demand for energy.”

With all sources of carbon considered, including deforestation, total global CO2 emissions are set to continue increasing.

  • Bluedragon012
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    4 days ago

    Gonna be real, you’d have practically give electric cars away if we want people to not use gas. My disabled ass cannot afford nor have the energy and motivation to go buy a used one,let alone a new one. it is out of reach.

    And even then gas huffers will literally kill if you try to force them to use electric. They need to hear the gas exploding to offset thier small parts, and how else are you going to impress your redneck buddies down by the creek.

    And don’t even get me started on the fucks who actually nut when a engine roars, they will do… Terrible things to keep thier fetish alive.

      • gian @lemmy.grys.it
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        3 days ago

        Honestly, when the public transport will give me back the 2 more hours (in the best case) I need to commute it will begin to be an alterative, until that moment I don’t think is a real solution.

        • NonconfrontationaI@lemmy.ml
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          3 days ago

          I’m guessing you’re thinking of the current structure of your cities public transport. Picture NYC infrastructure or japan’s or even china’s.

          Nobody needs a car there because it makes more sense to just use public transport.

          • gian @lemmy.grys.it
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            3 days ago

            I am thinking more about the problem for someone like me that do not live in the city, but not that afar either, to reach the working place that is not in the city, but still not that afar either.

            The problem with public transportation is never when you live (and work) in the city, it is always when you live outside the city and need to go in the city (or the contrary) or in some other small neighbouring towns.

            I had no problems to go to the big city with a train, in fact it is often far faster then using the car, the problem begins when I need to go to a neighbouring towns.
            You cannot realistically build a public transportation system that connect every small town/village with every other small town/village with a timetable comparable to the one used in the public transportation of the city .
            And then I would still have the problem of moving inside the destination town: often they are not big enough to justify having a public transportation system.

            • NonconfrontationaI@lemmy.ml
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              3 days ago

              Well yeah the solution is to minimize the incentive for people to want to live rurally, while of course allowing them access to efficient vehicles, while incentivizing people to move to cities, where public transport can dominate the transportation infrastructure for the vast majority of the people on the planet (those who live in cities)

              Personally I think it’s way too late for such significant and structural changes to be applied before we start experiencing mass famine, death, and of course resulting wars over resources. Our government institutions act too slowly for any of that to happen, and climate change is accelerating.

              • gian @lemmy.grys.it
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                3 days ago

                Well yeah the solution is to minimize the incentive for people to want to live rurally, while of course allowing them access to efficient vehicles, while incentivizing people to move to cities, where public transport can dominate the transportation infrastructure for the vast majority of the people on the planet (those who live in cities)

                No, it is not a solution, it is only a way to other, probably worse, problems. You are basically proposing to replace all the towns and villages in every country with few megacities, I don’t think that it will work the way you are thinking.

                Personally I think it’s way too late for such significant and structural changes to be applied before we start experiencing mass famine, death, and of course resulting wars over resources. Our government institutions act too slowly for any of that to happen, and climate change is accelerating.

                It is not that it is too late, it is that it a stupid thing to do.

      • Bluedragon012
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        3 days ago

        No argument from me, you’ll just have to kill oil ceos and thier lobbies to do it.

    • AA5B
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      4 days ago

      Not sure where the sarcasm ends here so

      • prices are getting closer every year, and that’s what the incentives were meant to counter. If not for protectionism, US would have comparably priced EVs like a lot of the rest of the world does
      • operating cost of EVs is much lower, especially now
      • as charging infrastructure is built out, more and more people will realize a new cheaper and easier option. No need to force anyone
      • I still have my car in “Halloween mode” where it roars. It actually startled me a few times, even though I should be expecting it

      Funny anecdote …… last night I drove to a shopping center to replace a headlight bulb on my kids car while they’re at work. Picture me parking next to an older Subaru, popping the hood, bending low over the engine compartment, contorting my upper body to maneuver my hands to the back of the headlights when suddenly behind me “ROAR”. Fucking a, even a little jump hurts when you’re tangled into an engine

      • Bluedragon012
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        3 days ago

        I bring in less than 12k a year, find me an electric car I can afford on top of rent and food. :D I did not ask about charging infrastructure, it’s there, no argument. Motor heads -NOT I make fun of fake engine noises.

        • AA5B
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          3 days ago

          With that income there has to be very few of any cars that are actually affordable.

          • it would be better if we can provide town centers where a car isn’t necessary and isn’t a sacrifice. Those don’t really exist in the us. Yet. But they could
          • if there are affordable cars, EVs have not yet been around long enough to be there. But it’s a matter of time. I’m picturing 20 year old cars at that point so it may be different when EVs have been around that long.

          I used to enjoy the rumble of a car with a Powerful engine, and nothing replace that vibration from a well tuned muscle car. But over time it got more artificial and farther from its roots. I will never enjoy artificial shift points. I will never enjoy noise makers. I will never enjoy the sound of a car that resembles a lawn mower or moped. Car guys have lost their way. However I do so much enjoy how my EV can out accelerate almost any gas car while making it feel effortless.

          I’m serious when I compare many gas cars to steam engines. You can visit a museum or old-timey railroad and it is so incredible what they did back then. So many moving parts. So much noise. So much effort to make the parts survive all that violence. It’s really cool to see what they did back then. But it’s so primitive