I will look again at fossil fuel free options for my transportation needs. Fact: The use of fossil fuels for energy has exacted an enormous toll on humanity and the biosphere — from air and water pollution to global warming. Source: Fossil Fuels: The Dirty Facts.
In Canada, the number one source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) is the production of fossil fuels, followed by transportation sector emissions which are largely the result of the burning of fossil fuels.
We are facing a climate emergency in which we urgently need to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. We need fewer cars, smaller cars, electric cars, fewer highways, less urban sprawl. We need densification, investment in public transit, active transportation options…
Lithium
Some argue that supplying the lithium we need to build EVs will cause massive devastation of the environment and will trample Indigenous rights. These scenarios are based on a future that looks like the present, except it’s electrified.
If we decrease car dependency, size EV batteries appropriate to their use, and create a robust recycling system, we can reduce demand for lithium by up to 92 percent by 2050, according to Climate + Community Project. We must use sustainable mining practices to extract lithium and we must consult with Indigenous peoples.
Compare that potential scenario with the devastation the fossil fuel industry continues to inflict on the planet, from extraction and transport of their product, the burning of it, and then the need to extract more.
Resources
- Watch for an EV event in May, sponsored by the Muskoka Conservancy and Climate Action Muskoka.
- Previous CCC: The Carbon Footprint of Your Next Vehicle – Climate Action Muskoka
- Fossil Fuels: The Dirty Facts | NRDC
- Greenhouse gas emissions – Canada.ca
- We May Not Actually Need All That Lithium (gizmodo.com)
- More Mobility Less Mining (climateandcommunity.org)
- Top six countries with the largest lithium reserves in the world (nsenergybusiness.com) FYI, Canada is not on the list
- Buying an electric vehicle (canada.ca)
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