Drone armies, expanded overtime pay and over-the-counter birth control pills are just some of the new things Biden has ushered in as president that you might not have heard about.
Once we’re fully electrified, then we can begin transitioning to mass transit options.
This is the biggest qualm I have. It’s not an either or. We can have more EVs and better transit too, so we can and should push for both at the same time. They both solve climate problems, and transit also gives better quality of life, in my opinion.
Additionally, I believe that the best way towards a greener world is to make the green option the easiest option for people. Buying an EV is very expensive for an individual, adding friction to the decision to purchase and alienating certain economic classes. If we were to put public funds towards good transit options instead of repairing the endless sprawl of roads, then we would see mass adoption of those transit options in favor of both ICEs and EVs, as it would be seen as viable competition to car ownership.
Ultimately, it’s about finding the right balance. That was my biggest issue with the White House statement. I agree that the climate emergency is a major concern, and EVs might be quicker to adopt (I have concerns about the accuracy of the claim though). But we can and should work in parallel. The statement put so much focus on EVs, when I really think that better mass transit options should have at least an equal focus.
It likely depends. From a time efficiency perspective, doing both would be best. If money is the bottleneck, then it’s probably best to find more money (tax the rich please?) or make budget adjustments so that time is the bottleneck instead (it is a climate emergency after all). I’ve heard that it is cheaper to maintain compact and mixed-use zoning areas over the classic strip mall with parking lots common across North America, and that could be enough for cities to see reorganizing the infrastructure as an investment over paying increasing maintenance costs. Of course that’s a big up front cost, but it over time it would be cheaper.
It seems like we do disagree on the exact impact both options have, which could help in deciding the priority. I don’t have any data to prove either side on this one, but if you know of any sources on that, I would love to see it.
This is the biggest qualm I have. It’s not an either or. We can have more EVs and better transit too, so we can and should push for both at the same time. They both solve climate problems, and transit also gives better quality of life, in my opinion.
Additionally, I believe that the best way towards a greener world is to make the green option the easiest option for people. Buying an EV is very expensive for an individual, adding friction to the decision to purchase and alienating certain economic classes. If we were to put public funds towards good transit options instead of repairing the endless sprawl of roads, then we would see mass adoption of those transit options in favor of both ICEs and EVs, as it would be seen as viable competition to car ownership.
Ultimately, it’s about finding the right balance. That was my biggest issue with the White House statement. I agree that the climate emergency is a major concern, and EVs might be quicker to adopt (I have concerns about the accuracy of the claim though). But we can and should work in parallel. The statement put so much focus on EVs, when I really think that better mass transit options should have at least an equal focus.
But with limited funds, shouldn’t we go for the biggest bang for our buck regarding the environment?
It likely depends. From a time efficiency perspective, doing both would be best. If money is the bottleneck, then it’s probably best to find more money (tax the rich please?) or make budget adjustments so that time is the bottleneck instead (it is a climate emergency after all). I’ve heard that it is cheaper to maintain compact and mixed-use zoning areas over the classic strip mall with parking lots common across North America, and that could be enough for cities to see reorganizing the infrastructure as an investment over paying increasing maintenance costs. Of course that’s a big up front cost, but it over time it would be cheaper.
It seems like we do disagree on the exact impact both options have, which could help in deciding the priority. I don’t have any data to prove either side on this one, but if you know of any sources on that, I would love to see it.