Excerpts from an essay about "Cars and Coal" from Athena, the Climate Historian (@Climatehistories)...
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As we strive towards a greener future, electric vehicles are often hailed as a climate saviour. They promise zero-emission driving — however, the story is not as straightforward as it seems.
When we think about EVs, we also need to think about coal consumption. While EVs are seen as a 'green technology,' they are also a matter of energy sovereignty, particularly in China. Half of the world’s EVs are currently produced in China, where two-thirds of electricity is produced from coal.
And the story of cars and coal does not end with the vehicles themselves. Cars require infrastructure: roads, bridges, and highways. This infrastructure consumes gigantic quantities of steel and cement, which indirectly fuels the demand for coal. Cement production, in particular, relies heavily on coal as fuel. Every new highway, every expanded road, every parking structure — each represents another link in the coal-to-car chain.
Perhaps instead of simply asking how to make more efficient cars, we should be asking deeper questions about mobility itself. Why do we need 80 million new cars each year? What alternatives might meet our mobility needs while treading more lightly on the planet and our health and quality of life? How might we design transportation systems that don't rely so heavily on private vehicle ownership?
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FULL ESSAY -- https://theclimatehistorian.substack.com/p/lets-talk-about-cars-and-coal