Do you have enough AA batteries to mow your lawn?
A global climate review, part two

 

Over the years, I’ve tried to put together essays and such that dove into things like the environment… climate change, recycling, and, simply put, just the overall need for awareness and action when it comes to treating the planet better.

While some of the efforts reached a point where I was ready to post the finished work, I have hardly ever felt as though I completely connected with the material and expressed my thoughts. Most of it is decent and I still agree with almost all of my initial premises, I just have this inner voice telling me something is missing here or doesn’t seem fully developed there.

So… at it again. This is the second of three that will be posted together. The idea is to take observations and realities, combine it with sarcasm and cynicism, and hopefully find myself satisfied with the result.

Above all, let me be clear: On the whole, we treat the planet horrendously. We’re awful. I truly believe we could make massive waves of improvements to the environment if all of us simply learned the proper use of a waste basket and getting trash to it. (Wrappers belong in a bin, folks, not tossed to the roadside from the window of a moving car.)

We aren’t just capable of doing better, we need to do better, and we need to do better NOW.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You may have heard that there are places getting ready to clamp down on the sale of gas-powered engines, such as lawn mowers and other yardwork equipment. California is one such location.

And this is where I begin to swirl thoughts into muddy ideas about the environmental debate.

If I got into any car considered environmentally friendly right now… any car you wished to provide… most would stop our journey after about three hundred miles. There are some estimated at over three to four hundred miles of range, but almost every one of them costs more than one-hundred-thousand dollars.

So, if I want to drive from Maine to Florida, I would need to divide it into stages. Drive, stop, charge, wait, repeat.

This is not offered up for a debate, but instead to set the stage for a reality of sorts. Because, for the most basic of reasons, the majority of us are simply not in a position to purchase zero emission vehicles. But it’s more than that, because those same vehicles are also: (1) Not yet at a performance level that covers all scenarios, and, (2) are only zero emission based on how you ask the question and view the answers.

(Hold on. Only environmentally friendly based on how you interpret the material? Bob, you’ve lost it. To which I respond, well…)

The materials and processes used to manufacture the vehicles can be incredibly intensive and sometimes hazardous. Consider the batteries, where lithium and cobalt can harm water supplies and give off toxic byproducts.

Oh… and those batteries happen to be the primary difference between how gas and electric vehicles are built. So, in just the build, it can be more harmful to get an electric vehicle off the assembly line.

Also, at this very moment most electrical grids are powered by fossil fuels. That means charging the vehicle does have associated emissions for these supposedly non-emission vehicles. Unless you don’t recharge it, which means you spent one hundred thousand dollars for a driveway sculpture. (That’ll make a statement open for interpretations.)

A few moments ago, I said this isn’t up for debate. Why? In part because it’s the facts. But also because things will improve. The process of making parts and delivering the cars will get better. Vehicle costs will come down. Driving range and other elements of performance will strengthen. And, even the ways electrical grids are powered will become more environmentally friendly.

My question is how far away are those improvements? And, a follow-up, if I may: Are some elements of this being addressed at a similar pace so we’ll get the entire program together?

Outlawing the sale of gas-powered motors in the next year or two or five is wonderful, in theory. But those of us that can’t afford a vehicle that costs about as much as a house will have troubles. Those of us that can’t replace the contents of our shed at one time may experience a few hurdles. And, when I do make the purchase, I’d really like to know that charging stations and options will be available wherever I go. (At least Maine to Florida.)

And if you think that the big companies will work it out, think again.

You know those high gas prices?

Obviously, the companies making products that offer alternatives to gas use are thrilled by the anger and frustrations created by high gas prices. It creates awareness and desires for their products, if for no other reason than increasing the numbers asking questions about them.

But from the reports out there, it seems as though the oil companies are reporting record profits in recent months. They don’t seem to be too bothered by the high prices either.

In other words, the only people hurting right now are those with no alternatives but to go to the pumps. The opposing sides seem content to let the situation ride.

It’s the items and ideas that aren’t being reported that concern me the most, usually. The advancements and demands for better ways are necessary, but they don’t always line up with the imperfections and realities of our surroundings.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The other parts:

My interests in water: A global climate review, part one

Take a breath, make a difference, and contribute to the solutions: A global climate review, part three

 

If you have any comments or questions, please e-mail me at Bob@inmybackpack.com