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Car-Free in L.A.? Don't Laugh

• EGreg 7y ago
  The key: relatively high density, a well-connected street grid, and many small businesses serving neighborhood needs. No one’s laughing. These ARE the things we must do across the US and the world, in order to curb pollution. Sure, electric vehicles give consumers and the market choice to derive energy from non-fossil-fuel sources. But just as crucial is reducing the need for cars and everyday commutes. (At Qbix.com, building apps to connect local communities, we feel like we are going to make a large difference at scale in this direction, but that’s can only be one part of a much larger approach.) Cars and their fossil-fuel lock-in are one of the major sources of carbon and methane emissions. The other is livestock. It’s as hard to convince people to go vegan as it is for libertarians to tell people to give up the state. You just have to build better alternatives, like the Impossible Burger or apps that can automate neighborhood governance and services. We need to have a market for carbon credits that rewards reforestation and biodiversity, with actual money from governments. I know this is the home of geeks who think everything can be solved with an app or software platform, but seriously, we CAN make a huge difference, while politicians bicker. Companies can build these things. Don’t underestimate the power of companies like Qbix, Nori and Impossible Burger to help save the world! :)