ELECTRIC CARS: APPROPRIATE ICONS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING?
For a long time, climate change has been regarded as a predominantly 'left-wing' topic, of concern only to hippie tree-huggers or yuppies that can afford a lifestyle that includes organic food and fair trade products. Changing the world together by allowing governments to regulate our consumption patterns is something that does not immediately appeal to the more conservative, 'right-wing' public. Yet, it is becoming clear that a changing climate does not only endanger polar bears or far away ice sheets, but may very well endanger people's health and livelihoods.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
A Republican politician who recently effectively communicated these aspects of climate change is Arnold Schwarzenegger. In a letter he recently posted on his Facebook page, he addresses the unsustainable nature of a fossil-fuel driven economy. In addition, he points out that air pollution, caused by burning fossil fuels, kills thousands of people annually around the world. He states that anyone is his or her right mind would refrain from inhaling toxic fumes coming from car exhausts. He asks his readers if, given a choice, they would rather spend an hour in a sealed room with a regular, gasoline-fueled car, or with an electric car, both with engines running full blast.
In his letter, there is -explicitly- no talk of climate change being real or not. There is no discussion about possible future scenarios, no pictures of cute looking Arctic animals, no calving glaciers. Instead, he provides a refreshing simplified angle to the climate change debate, talking about what immediately affects people's day to day life: a steady income and health.
I applaud Arnold Schwarzenegger for writing this effective, clear letter and for addressing the climate change issue from a different angle. We need more people like him. What strikes me, though, is the electric car being mentioned as the environmental friendly alternative for gasoline fueled cars. Doing so, Arnold Schwarzenegger is not alone. In the Netherlands and Belgium, for instance, electric car owners get tax benefits from the government, in order to be able to afford the -expensive- electric alternative that is considered to be environmentally friendly. Even more so, in informal settings, I notice that people are being admired for choosing electric cars over regular cars. Driving an electric car is saying: 'I care'.
ELECTRIC CARS AND ELECTRICITY
Interestingly, there is no mention in either Arnold Schwarzenegger's post nor on Dutch and Flemish websites on how the electricity that is driving these electric cars, is being generated. Actually, I never hear anyone talk about this issue, and that surprises me. We all know that electricity does not grow on trees. It has to be generated somewhere. And although indeed some of the energy in the Netherlands or Belgium may originate from renewable sources, this was only a meagre 4.5 and 6.8% of all energy generated in 2012 respectively in these countries. In the USA, about 13% of all generated electricity originates from renewable energy.
That electric cars are not necessarily the answer to our fossil fuel emission problem, is being demonstrated in Beijing right at this moment. The city is covered in smog, a lot of which originates from coal-burning power plants and direct and indirect vehicle emissions. With higher electricity generation emissions in China, a transition to electric vehicles may reduce oil consumption at the expense of increased air pollution and/or greenhouse gas emissions, a study shows. In other words, it may only make things worse for Beijing. Yet, the use of electric cars is promoted in China as well, and sales numbers are increasing dramatically.
Beijing, dcember 2015. Source: www.huffingtonpost.com
So why the popularity and green image of the electric car? And why are there no questions asked about the source of the electricity the car uses? I suggest this comes from the fact that we do not see or smell the electricity being generated, and the car thus seems completely clean when we use it. Which means, that we can continue to drive our car anywhere, without feeling any guilt about burning fossil fuels, which is a win-win situation. That this is not necessarily the case, is being demonstrated in Beijing as we speak. At best, the problem is being relocated, just so we are not confronted with it on a day-to-day basis.
Nevertheless, I believe there is a sustainable future for the electric car. It has the potential to become a truly environmental friendly alternative to the regular car, but we clearly need to invest in renewable energy. And for that, we should come to terms with the fact that, as with so many things in life, there is no such thing as an easy fix to the fossil fuel emission problem.