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The concept of whether something is "good for the environment" is fundamentally flawed because there really exist only degrees. Literally anything we do modifi
by throwaway22032 5y ago
The concept of whether something is "good for the environment" is fundamentally flawed because there really exist only degrees.
Literally anything we do modifies the environment. We generally tend to define "reversion to nature" as being a good thing, e.g. things that allow ecosystems to function independent of our fiddlings.
I think that the primary contribution to "ecosystem change" is not actually fossil fuel use (e.g. CO2 emission), but land use. There is no Amazon if you cut it down, the Swedish wilderness isn't wild if you criss cross it with roads, the lakes aren't the same if you dam them for hydro, etc.
We can't exist as a species of seven billion individuals that each seek to exact some amount of change that sums to an enormous difference without changing the planet. Regardless of whether you think it's a good or a bad thing, it just is, we do things.
We could create a car that runs on water and has tyres made of biodegradable leaves and it still can't go anywhere without roads that cause wildlife corridors.
- JamisonM 5y agoPeople have been talking about conservation and re-foresting, and preserving the Amazon for at least 80 years. Governments all over the world establish national parks and I know some are actively working on wildlife corridors to improve ecosystems. If we existed as a species at only slightly higher density and energy efficiency there would be a lot more space for wilderness - the good news is that climate change mitigation is also consistent with that goal!
- throwaway22032 5y agoRight. I suppose my main argument is that I'm unconvinced that the quantity of driving is really that relevant. We can fix that via clean energy. What we can't really 'fix' in the car based model is the fact that you need roads from every point to every point and you're also allowing people to live basically anywhere they want as long as there's a road to it.
- JamisonM 5y agoI agree, if I understand you correctly. We are on the path to making driving n-times more energy efficient, fussing over if that results is 30 or 40% more driving is missing the forest for the trees. Rebuilding car culture from the ground up in a way that is more ecologically sound is a longer term project!