Everyone knows that electric vehicles are supposed to be better for the planet than gas cars. That’s the driving reason behind a global effort to transition toward batteries.
But what about the harms caused by mining for battery minerals? And coal-fired power plants for the electricity to charge the cars? And battery waste? Is it really true that EVs are better?
The answer is yes. But Americans are growing less convinced.
The net benefits of EVs have been frequently fact-checked, including by NPR. "No technology is perfect, but the electric vehicles are going to offer a significant benefit as compared to the internal combustion engine vehicles," Jessika Trancik, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told NPR this spring.
It’s important to ask these questions about EVs’ hidden costs, Trancik says. But they have been answered “exhaustively” — her word — and a widerange of organizations have confirmed that EVs still beat gas.
Be sure to call a few government reps and speak your mind. Try to do it by asking questions. If you can turn a few aides against the system it can have a snowball effect bc those are people who are young and passionate about politics
100 percent.
The reality about the whole “write your congressperson” mentality, at least in Canada, our elected officials (Members of Parliament for our Federal gov, Members of Provincial Parliament for our Provincial gov) are engaged in rampant tribalism. Unless your wish is parroted by a significant portion of the population AND is in line with the goals of the party, your political engagement is worth nothing. Sure, you’ll get a response back, but it’ll either be Conservative culture warrior validation or Liberal boilerplate lip service assuring you that they value your input. Our Federal government is run by the Liberal party who have devised an immigration scam to increase the value of their real estate portfolios and literally have eschewed all other issues in our country, and our Provincial governments are arguing over beer and healthcare. There is no left of center representation in Canada, and most people seem on board with the tariffs.
I would agree that writing does nothing, they probably throw it away without even reading it, but talking to real people who actually want to improve things (like political assistants) can make a difference.