They aren’t a fig leaf, they’re a bandaid. They fix the emissions problem which is currently the most pressing issue. They aren’t a perfect solution but they are one that is applicable now and fighting against them is just playing directly into the fossil fuel industries hand. Fighting for better public transport is great but until that happens electric vehicles are harm reduction.
They don’t fix the emissions issue at all, at best they reduce it. But the real problem of these semi-solutions is that they give people the feeling that it’s OK just buy more cars again because they believe (or maybe want to believe) “it fixes the emissions issue”. In my neighborhood most families have 2 if not 3 cars in front of their house. If I look on the street, by far most cars have a single occupant, they’re 90% empty space. Electric or not that is not sustainable.
I agree public transport won’t solve everything (not even in the long term) but if we’re going to have personal motorized transport it’s going to have to come down in scale significantly. No more giant trucks. No more multiple SUVs for a single family. Your second car could easily be a two seat city car (and yes, electric of course) or even better one of those little ‘fake’ cars with the scooter size engine. Hell get a scooter or a bike even.
I mean if you ask me we should go in a lot more radical direction, but that would be a start. A band-aid is not going to cut it at this point.
They aren’t a fig leaf, they’re a bandaid. They fix the emissions problem which is currently the most pressing issue. They aren’t a perfect solution but they are one that is applicable now and fighting against them is just playing directly into the fossil fuel industries hand. Fighting for better public transport is great but until that happens electric vehicles are harm reduction.
They don’t fix the emissions issue at all, at best they reduce it. But the real problem of these semi-solutions is that they give people the feeling that it’s OK just buy more cars again because they believe (or maybe want to believe) “it fixes the emissions issue”. In my neighborhood most families have 2 if not 3 cars in front of their house. If I look on the street, by far most cars have a single occupant, they’re 90% empty space. Electric or not that is not sustainable.
I agree public transport won’t solve everything (not even in the long term) but if we’re going to have personal motorized transport it’s going to have to come down in scale significantly. No more giant trucks. No more multiple SUVs for a single family. Your second car could easily be a two seat city car (and yes, electric of course) or even better one of those little ‘fake’ cars with the scooter size engine. Hell get a scooter or a bike even.
I mean if you ask me we should go in a lot more radical direction, but that would be a start. A band-aid is not going to cut it at this point.