Portugal: The Dirty Truth Behind Green Cars ARTE Reportage

[upkerry14]

Portugal: The Dirty Truth Behind Green Cars - ARTE Reportage - Watch the full documentary | ARTE



Lithium is crucial for use in batteries, and as Europe tried to go green and switch to electric cars, demand for this white gold is skyrocketing. The EU imports most of its lithium, but its demand keeps increasing. Mining companies are tempted by the possibility of finding and exploiting reserves right here in Europe. But that would mean sacificing small rural communities, for 'the greater good'.

 

[h2ofun]

When I hear folks trying to tell me EV's are clean, yep, these are some of the truths behind the reality.

 

[nwdiver]

Portugal: The Dirty Truth Behind Green Cars - ARTE Reportage - Watch the full documentary | ARTE



Lithium is crucial for use in batteries, and as Europe tried to go green and switch to electric cars, demand for this white gold is skyrocketing. The EU imports most of its lithium, but its demand keeps increasing. Mining companies are tempted by the possibility of finding and exploiting reserves right here in Europe. But that would mean sacificing small rural communities, for 'the greater good'.

Totally. EVs are absolutely terrible... it's impossible to argue with that position based on reality. If you can bike or walk everywhere then bike or walk everywhere... just don't rely on fools fuel... that's >10x worse.

 

[h2ofun]

Totally. EVs are absolutely terrible... it's impossible to argue with that position based on reality. If you can bike or walk everywhere then bike or walk everywhere... just don't rely on fools fuel... that's >10x worse.

The number of folks who tell me EV's are totally green and they totally believe it with no data. Amazing what media can convince folks of.

 

[nwdiver]

The number of folks who tell me EV's are totally green and they totally believe it with no data. Amazing what media can convince folks of.

They're SUPER-SUPER green compared to fools fuel. As low of a bar as that might be. Context.

Wind turbines and solar panels are also terrible..... unless your alternative for electricity is.... anything else. Again.... context.

 

[h2ofun]

They're SUPER-SUPER green compared to fools fuel. As low of a bar as that might be. Context.

Wind turbines and solar panels are also terrible..... unless your alternative for electricity is.... anything else. Again.... context.

ask those folks in that town about context

 

[nwdiver]

ask those folks in that town about context

Gladly... we can go on a few field trips.

And that's not even counting climate change....

 

[upkerry14]

I posted this more as a conversation starter. I never had any illusions about any car being "green"; even if it were much of the transportation infrastructure isn't green (concrete, stalled traffic, lost time, stress/health issues with gridlock etc....). As Vonnegut said, we are a cancer on this earth. Still, if it's not the car you drive it's your clothes made by a sweatshop in Guatemala, your food factory farmed, your medicine made by pharmaceutical companies that rape the amazon for source material.... we all take a toll regardless.

 

[nwdiver]

.... we all take a toll regardless.

Obviously. But some things take a FAR... FAR... FAAAAR lower toll than others. Context it critical. I've had people tell me wind turbines are 'bad' because they need 3000 gallons of oil for lubrication. Even if this was true.... a wind turbine displaces the damage caused by refining 3000 gallons of oil over the course of a windy weekend. Context. Context. Context.

Until fools fuel is in the history books whining about how EVs, solar and wind aren't magic is just a distraction. Magic isn't real and fools fuel takes a toll at least an order of magnitude worse.

 

[David_Cary]

Everything we do does damage. But carbon appears to be the endgame.
People will gravitate towards, and overemphasize, visible and immediate damage. The invisible and slower damage will get neglected. It is a failure of evolution.
50,000 people could die every year from particulate pollution but we will cry for the oily bird, or the small town in Portugal (didn't watch video).
100 million people could die from climate change in the next 10 years. The rich can turn up the a/c and still afford adequate food/water. And while about some small Portuguese town.
Listen, we can't get people to stop driving pickup trucks to go pick up milk. Good luck getting them to walk.

I have a lot of resources. I drive EVs/have solar. A world with 1000 Lithium mines is still better than what we have now. The only proper thing to do is die or at least have no children. At some point, you have to make tough decisions. Like depopulating areas if that is what it takes.