2 ms·

I don’t like these comparisons because they’re super reductionist about what “The Environment” is supposed to be. Apparently the only form of pollution is CO2.

I don’t like these comparisons because they’re super reductionist about what “The Environment” is supposed to be. Apparently the only form of pollution is CO2. There are lots of types of pollution and secondary effects from manufacturing that are worse than CO2. Industrial mining activities leach chemicals into the soil, cause lead and mercury contamination, groundwater contamination, habitat destruction, and so on. Using dirty coal plants to power assembly lines puts smog into the air, ruining people’s quality of life, causes lung cancer and birth defects. The list of secondary effects is a mile long. On the other hand, driving a used car might produce more CO2 (Which the author is alluding to as being dirtier after X years of ownership) but has none of these secondary effects.

roryisok 4y ago
> driving a used car might produce more CO2 (Which the author is alluding to as being dirtier after X years of ownership) but has none of these secondary effects. You're comparing a new EV to a used ICE car. Brand new ICE cars have similar pollution to brand new EVs. Sure, second-hand cars are better. Second-hand everything is better for the planet. But the world is full of people who will continue to buy brand new cars off the production line, and for those people, an EV is ultimately cleaner. And for you and me, there are second-hand EVs out there which are even cleaner again than a second-hand ICE that continues to pollute with every mile it drives.
comte7092 4y ago
>Industrial mining activities leach chemicals into the soil, cause lead and mercury contamination, groundwater contamination, habitat destruction, and so on. And the alternative is oil drilling and fracking. Not only co2 emissions. Oil production is an extremely dirty process itself, and oil spills aren’t uncommon. It’s pretty laughable that you frame it as though oil is only about co2 emissions. Reading your comment makes one wonder why you left out the “windmills kill birds” comment. Not to mention in a lot of places coal is being phased out entirely, in my state coal is a fairly small component of the energy mix.
upsidesinclude 4y ago
Absolutely! The largest of American mines are no longer even owned by US companies! That may not be a concern to many, but keep in mind that for the entirety of mining in the US, these companies have had devastating effect on the ecology and local resources, such as water (possibly the single greatest commodity in the future dystopia of earth).

roryisok 4y ago

> driving a used car might produce more CO2 (Which the author is alluding to as being dirtier after X years of ownership) but has none of these secondary effects. You're comparing a new EV to a used ICE car. Brand new ICE cars have similar pollution to brand new EVs. Sure, second-hand cars are better. Second-hand everything is better for the planet. But the world is full of people who will continue to buy brand new cars off the production line, and for those people, an EV is ultimately cleaner. And for you and me, there are second-hand EVs out there which are even cleaner again than a second-hand ICE that continues to pollute with every mile it drives.

comte7092 4y ago

>Industrial mining activities leach chemicals into the soil, cause lead and mercury contamination, groundwater contamination, habitat destruction, and so on. And the alternative is oil drilling and fracking. Not only co2 emissions. Oil production is an extremely dirty process itself, and oil spills aren’t uncommon. It’s pretty laughable that you frame it as though oil is only about co2 emissions. Reading your comment makes one wonder why you left out the “windmills kill birds” comment. Not to mention in a lot of places coal is being phased out entirely, in my state coal is a fairly small component of the energy mix.

upsidesinclude 4y ago

Absolutely! The largest of American mines are no longer even owned by US companies! That may not be a concern to many, but keep in mind that for the entirety of mining in the US, these companies have had devastating effect on the ecology and local resources, such as water (possibly the single greatest commodity in the future dystopia of earth).