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Mod cut. A car is a complex thing composed of hundreds of substances regardless whether its an ICE, hybrid, or electric. What about all the non-renewable resources needed to manufacture the car? To dispose of cars no longer used? Environmental damage from mining the raw minerals, manufacturing all the plastics, non-recyclables, toxic chemicals (flame retardants to name just one) that go in to a car. All the toxic products required to maintain/repair the car itself over time. All the byproducts created by the automotive industry itself (air, water, and soil pollution from the chemical plants and factories). Then of course there's the impact from building and maintaining all the highways and surface streets we drive them on. The list is endless!!!
Last edited by PJSaturn; 11-27-2020 at 06:10 PM..
Reason: Rude.
The biggest environmental impact of a vehicle is the manufacturing process.
The 'recycling' of it at the end of its life cycle is probably a close second.
That can be said about anything that is made that we use everyday, the waste from making the plastic for you bottle water , the byproduct of making the steel from making the refrigerator you keep that plastic bottle of water in. Everything has a environmental impact not just a automobile.
My quick back-of-the-napkin calculation says that I use about four times the total energy each year to heat my home vs. driving my car. Does that sound about right to those more mathematically skilled? And that doesn't count electrical usage. Then, if I calculate how much energy I "use" in the growing and transportation of the food I eat, Hoo, Boy. And don't even get me started on the environmental costs for the government and military I represent, or anything else I purchase. Bottom line, I should probably do the earth a favor and end my life, right?
My quick back-of-the-napkin calculation says that I use about four times the total energy each year to heat my home vs. driving my car. Does that sound about right to those more mathematically skilled? And that doesn't count electrical usage. Then, if I calculate how much energy I "use" in the growing and transportation of the food I eat, Hoo, Boy. And don't even get me started on the environmental costs for the government and military I represent, or anything else I purchase. Bottom line, I should probably do the earth a favor and end my life, right?
Well, not quite, we will miss you!
As far as our home heating or cooling goes, if we all lived in smaller apartments, the energy used would be dramatically lower. I used to crash in a relative's studio in Manhattan in the winters. It was empty. I first thought I am going to freeze, getting there at midnight. But, since all the apartments around this one had the heat on, I actually didn't even have to turn the heat on much.
As far as cars go, the list is too lengthy, mostly mentioned here. One thing is the tires that just wear and spread their particles on the road and eventually we breathe it in, or finds it way to the natural water resources.
I don't think electric cars are much better, it any. The solution is public transportation. We technically have to live closer to each other and our works, in small apartments and take public transportation. That's is difficult though, I for one am being a hypocrite myself, decided to live in a nice suburb with good schools and commute 18 miles to work, in LA traffic.
Also, for the while being, the pandemic has made all the above suggestions even more non-practical.
As far as our home heating or cooling goes, if we all lived in smaller apartments, the energy used would be dramatically lower.
Or alternately if we place a high value on energy efficiency during the construction process, the energy use would be dramatically lower. Florida's current building code actually does a good job with this and there are a number of ways to hit the target of keeping a home pleasantly cool during a hot and humid summer while barely having to run the AC at all.
Regardless of where you live at, more energy is being used at home, since for every product you use at home, even foods, energy energy is used to get them to your apartment (or house, whatever). Not only that, but the electricity you use at home is not produced by the outlet, and the water is not created by the faucet.
The little apartment in Manhattan is one among numerous other apartments in a building that requires a lot of energy to construct. Then a lot more energy to maintain ii heated, to have potable water, with flushing toilets, showers, and the rest. When you flush the toilet it feels good, right? But in reality, the waste just doesn't go "poof" and turns into clean air. Instead is "piped away" to some disposal processing facility, that in the process uses a tremendous amount of energy. Not even that, but the toilet itself, pipes, and the rest, also required energy to produce and then install in your apartment. And the "poppy" processing plants well, required a lot of energy to construct and now to maintain.
Some of you may be in the mindset that you aren't harming the environment because you use public transportation, live in a tiny place, and don't use electricity, nor fuels. But in reality even the air you breath at home is polluted by the chemical you use to deodorize it, or cleaned. Then the foods you eat contain traces of minerals and chemicals, that you flush away
Some of you may be in the mindset that you aren't harming the environment because you use public transportation, live in a tiny place, and don't use electricity, nor fuels. But in reality even the air you breath at home is polluted by the chemical you use to deodorize it, or cleaned. Then the foods you eat contain traces of minerals and chemicals, that you flush away
I think most people know this. The question is how can we be better. We have to start somewhere.
I for one, like my stick shift internal combustion engine car. At least it gets 35 MPG. But esp being in CA with all the wildfires, etc, I understand a lot of the things we do has to change. It will take time.
As far as car goes, I am still not sold on EV's. There are a lot of other factors involved.
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