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Cars have become massively more efficient in recent years. Mid-size SUVs that got 15-20mpg a couple decades ago are pulling 30-40 now (with definite tradeoffs t

Cars have become massively more efficient in recent years. Mid-size SUVs that got 15-20mpg a couple decades ago are pulling 30-40 now (with definite tradeoffs to get there!). And EVs are finally entering mainstream (and will moreso once automakers figure out how to actually get semiconductors). Household energy consumption has gone way down too - LED lighting, efficient appliances, and better insulation drove that move and heat pumps are promising to drive that even further downwards. Behavior change is hard - but it is happening. Just slower than is ideal. 2C is VERY doable imho. 1.5 not so much

ncmncm 4y ago
SUVs are not in fact pulling 30 mpg.
- KMnO4 4y ago
  Many aren’t, but many are. I get 40mpg in a Toyota Venza quite comfortably.
bambax 4y ago
EVs are not, in fact, "zero emissions" when running. It very much depends on how electricity is produced. In the US for instance, over 60% of electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels [0]. It's hard to see how they're even part of the solution, given the enormous amounts of energy needed to produce them. And the whole concept of "SUV" is absurd. Most trips involve just one person. It would be better to just use a small car -- preferably an old one, that already exists. [0] https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3 https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3
- kubafu 4y ago
  > And the whole concept of "SUV" is absurd. Most trips involve just one person. It would be better to just use a small car -- preferably an old one, that already exists. This! Building zillions of new EVs and ditching old cars is not some magic recipe for a better world. We should instead limit our consumption in every way.
  - dradtke 4y ago
    To what? What level of consumption will make all these problems disappear? Going back to pre-industruial lifestyles is arguably worse for the average person than climate change is.
carapace 4y ago
We also have to address pollution from tires. Cars don't actually make sense as a mass transportation method.

ncmncm 4y ago

SUVs are not in fact pulling 30 mpg.

KMnO4 4y ago
Many aren’t, but many are. I get 40mpg in a Toyota Venza quite comfortably.

bambax 4y ago

EVs are not, in fact, "zero emissions" when running. It very much depends on how electricity is produced. In the US for instance, over 60% of electricity is produced by burning fossil fuels [0]. It's hard to see how they're even part of the solution, given the enormous amounts of energy needed to produce them. And the whole concept of "SUV" is absurd. Most trips involve just one person. It would be better to just use a small car -- preferably an old one, that already exists. [0] https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3 https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3

kubafu 4y ago
> And the whole concept of "SUV" is absurd. Most trips involve just one person. It would be better to just use a small car -- preferably an old one, that already exists. This! Building zillions of new EVs and ditching old cars is not some magic recipe for a better world. We should instead limit our consumption in every way.
- dradtke 4y ago
  To what? What level of consumption will make all these problems disappear? Going back to pre-industruial lifestyles is arguably worse for the average person than climate change is.

carapace 4y ago

We also have to address pollution from tires. Cars don't actually make sense as a mass transportation method.