Reducing car use is a crucial way to reduce transport’s carbon emissions, the science and technology select committee told the U.K. government today. The cross-party group of MPs says switching from internal combustion engines to battery-powered engines is not the game-changing solution the government thinks it is.
“In the long-term, widespread personal vehicle ownership does not appear to be compatible with significant decarbonization,” says the blisteringThe government should “aim to reduce the number of vehicles required, for example by promoting and improving public transport; reducing its cost relative to private transport and encouraging vehicle usership in place of ownership,” add the MPs, stressing that the government ought to be “encouraging and supporting increased levels of walking and cycling.
“The government should not aim to achieve emissions reductions simply by replacing existing vehicles with lower-emission versions,” says the report., published on August 22, highlights that the United States Geological Survey warns of a likely future shortage of the minerals required for electric vehicle batteries.
The select committee’s report adds that more than half of the world’s cobalt sources are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mining can be poorly regulated and dangerous and is frequently carried out by children using hand tools.
carltonreid Before any change to private car ownership and use can be made, there needs to be a break away from the motor car being advertised and celebrated as objects of desire and vanity. No-one really needs a car that can do 0-60 in less than 10 seconds, or off road capability in a town.
carltonreid Key point about rare minerals being in short supply - Cobalt supplies would equip just one medium sized country and are mined in Congo - but they would go sooo much further in ebike batteries!
Eletric cars are here to stay! Tesla
If we're consuming more than our planet can naturally produce and polluting more than we can effectively recycle ... What do we think we might actually need to do - to make an actual positive difference; to our planet, the environment and the climate?
Can we split the difference and go with electric motorcycles? ZeroMC
I can’t wait to be featured on your 30 under 30.
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