Globally, only one in 50 new cars were fully electric in 2020, and one in 14 in the UK. Sounds impressive, but even if all new cars were electric now, it would still take 15-20 years to replace the world’s fossil fuel car fleet.

The emission savings from replacing all those internal combustion engines with zero-carbon alternatives will not feed in fast enough to make the necessary difference in the time we can spare: the next five years. Tackling the climate and air pollution crises requires curbing all motorised transport, particularly private cars, as quickly as possible. Focusing solely on electric vehicles is slowing down the race to zero emissions.

  • jaschen@lemmynsfw.com
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    10 months ago

    Cycling is not the solution. It’s infrastructure.

    I would love a walkable city. But I can’t afford housing close to the city. The bus or train system isn’t strong enough or convenient enough. Our country are set up for cars. Housing prices are set up for people to drive further to live.

    Have affordable housing near the places I work and I won’t need to drive. Stop blaming people for living their lives around a broken infrastructure. Stop cramming bicycles down our throats. We are not the problem.

    • Isoprenoid@programming.dev
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      10 months ago

      We are not the problem.

      Then what is the problem?

      The infrastructure

      And who built the infrastructure?

      We did.

      👉

      • shastaxc@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        “we” is used very liberally here. I had no say in the planning, implementation, or even the allocation of funds for the current infrastructure. In fact, most of it has existed since before I was born.

        • spacecowboy@sh.itjust.works
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          10 months ago

          You’ve also been able to vote in a few local elections along the way, yeah? Where I’m at there are often candidates who champion bicycle infrastructure, and it’s not a new phenomenon. More often than not they’re mocked and not elected. I imagine my city isn’t unique in that.

          So yea, WE are to blame.

        • Isoprenoid@programming.dev
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          10 months ago

          most of it has existed since before I was born.

          I’m sure a lot of things existed before you were born.

          There were also a lot of things that didn’t exist before you were born.

          Change da world, my final message. Good bye.

      • jaschen@lemmynsfw.com
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        10 months ago

        I’m sick of people blaming the people. I’m sick of people trying to shove bicycles down our throats like THAT will fix the issue.

        My comment was in response to the blaming of the people and pushing cycling as the solution. This article should be, how do we influence better zoming laws. How we do improve the city infrastructure.

        We do vote. Every election cycle. We do what we can with our few voices.

        The sooner we stop upvoting these shit articles the sooner we can fix the actual issue.

      • jaschen@lemmynsfw.com
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        10 months ago

        Cars are just the “effect” of the “cause”. Vote in your local elections for better zoning laws and stop upvoting these shit articles that blame the people.

          • jaschen@lemmynsfw.com
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            10 months ago

            I mean, with that logic, if 1/2 of the world population didn’t eat and just died, that would also fix the problem too. But that isn’t going to happen so your statement is as dumb as mine.

            • ILikeBoobies
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              10 months ago

              Put a ban in place for 2030 or 2035 and it will be fixed

              If you don’t do that then everything will be designed with the existence of cars in mind

              Even today they are building new roads, you go to a sub division and there are roads in front of every house

              • jaschen@lemmynsfw.com
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                10 months ago

                So people like me who can’t afford a job near my work have to ride a bicycle for 40 miles one-way for my work because someone in the past made home zoning impossible to scale the population growth.

                Please tell me why I have to suffer and those fuckers who is camping in those expensive unattainable homes get to enjoy their home values?

                Why do you want people like me to suffer more than I already do by having to drive 80 miles a day?

                • ILikeBoobies
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                  10 months ago

                  The point is you won’t fix that if there are cars

                  Why would you suffer from an issue that only exists because of cars if there weren’t cars?

                  • jaschen@lemmynsfw.com
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                    10 months ago

                    I disagree. Plenty of countries have converted highways to bike lanes successfully and continued using their cars.

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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        10 months ago

        They certainly are, they just need to go around city centers instead of through. Cars make a ton of sense for longer trips (way better than an empty bus), they don’t make sense downtown.