dfk41 I think the big issue these days is that society seems unable to be able to deal with grey. Everything has to be black or white; you’re either in one camp or the other, and we’ve got lazy with facts, so a catchy headline or opinion on Facebook tends to get more credit than a well researched, balanced and qualified article.
Greener options don’t mean no impact, just less and usually with more consideration of what that impact might be and continued efforts to reduce it. Lithium batteries clearly have an environmental cost, and people are working hard to find alternatives. Solar panels create hard to recycle waste at end of life, but again people are aware and working hard to find solutions. Neither of these issues are reasons not to adopt the technologies though, as even with these issues they’re still less damaging than the status quo.
Ultimately, the biggest impact most of us can have is to reduce consumption in our lives, and ensure that what we buy actually adds value and is worth the cost (financially and environmentally). I did read a study that showed a small petrol vehicle can have less total lifetime emissions than a Tesla, but this isn’t really a fair comparison, as a small EV would have had lower emissions. People see the headlines and then use that justify to themselves that there is no value to electric vehicles and they may as well get a combustion engine. They then ignore the small part and another SUV hits the road (this is a generalisation, but you get the point).
If you want to make a difference get the smallest of everything that fits your needs the majority of the time, rather than sizing everything to the maximum you might possibly need. For example having a small car that is fine day to day, but requires you to use a trailer or roof box for the couple of times a year where you need the space (like a camping trip) is going to be greener than having a large car that drives around empty most of the time. Having a smaller house where every room is used every day is greener than having (and heating) loads of spare rooms that no one uses. On the occasion when you have more people over you can share rooms, sleep on camp beds in the living room or get a hotel. It also takes less time to clean and maintain.
Mostly these choices aren’t even much of a sacrifice, they just go against the natural drive to keep up with the Jones’. Consuming less always costs less to buy and maintain. This means you need less income, giving you flexibility. It might let you retire earlier, or work less hours and have more time to do what gives your life meaning, or work in a sector that is important to you but doesn’t pay as well. There is plenty of evidence that shows human happiness comes from having purpose and being part of a community, not having more stuff.
When I was younger I spent a few months in rural India, and this very strongly highlighted that the list of needs was actually quite low, and most of us have a long list of wants.
