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How is a heat pump and an electric car a lower standard of living than heating with oil and burning gasoline in a car?
by adrianN 4y ago
How is a heat pump and an electric car a lower standard of living than heating with oil and burning gasoline in a car?
- Ekaros 4y agoIs that really enough? To truly reach levels where we spend efforts of capturing carbon means forgoing electric cars for private transport. And heat pumps true, valid choice. In much much denser accommodations.
- adrianN 4y agoTo reach carbon neutrality you essentially have to decarbonize transportation, heating and cooling, industry, agriculture, and electricity. Electric vehicles don't lower quality of live, heat pumps don't lower quality of life either. Changes in how we power industry and agriculture also don't change quality of life. Electricity is the same no matter how it's produced. Once we reached this state we can start worrying about capturing excess carbon. So the only argument for "this will lower quality of life" is that things might become more expensive. But renewable energy in fairly cheap, so I'm not convinced that on average quality of life will suffer. Some things will get more expensive, others will get cheaper.
- Ekaros 4y agoThey will become more expensive. I have no idea how much, but my initial guess is too much. At least for those already struggling. The rich might manage it, but for poor it might be too much to ask for.
- boplicity 4y ago> carbon neutrality you essentially have to decarbonize transportation, heating and cooling, industry, agriculture, and electricity. You're missing one of the biggest contributors: construction. Cement and steel are both huge sources of carbon emissions. There are potential solutions to this, but it's another very difficult area to transition.
- adrianN 4y agoI kinda counted them under "industry", but you're right that it might make sense to have them separate. Steel is a smaller problem than cement though, since steel can be made with hydrogen, you only need a little carbon.
- rbanffy 4y agoIndeed. Cement is a big problem. In the meantime, we can do the things we know how while we figure out what do we do with cement.
- fomine3 4y agoFor denser condos, gas water heating is easier choice because heat pump warmer equipment is bigger.
- alexlesuper 4y agoMost people can't afford those options
- mbg721 4y agoThe promise has always been that electric cars will get cheaper once we're through the early adopters. I'm a little nervous about long-term battery life, but I guess we'll see.
- rbanffy 4y agoThey aren't that much more expensive when new. Someone who buys a 10 year old car will buy an electric one 15 years from now.