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The Biden administration is proposing new rules designed to speed the adaptation of electric vehicles and, more or less, kill off the internal combustion engine. This is potentially a very good thing — but the whole thing is being ridiculously oversold. I read this paragraph in New York Times article on the subject — the 3rd paragraph in the story:
“If the two rules from the Environmental Protection Agency are enacted as proposed, they will put the world’s largest economy on track to slash its planet-warming emissions at the pace that scientists say is required of all nations in order to avert the most devastating impacts of climate change.”
— New York Times, April 13, 2023
This is clearly and completely false. No credible climate scientist would suggest that switching even 100% worldwide to electric cars even immediately — TODAY! — would avert the most devastating impacts of our climate destruction. There are many reasons, but here’s the two most obvious ones:
- Electric vehicles get their energy from our existing energy grid, which is energy overwhelmingly produced with fossil fuels. While more energy is being produced by clean sources, the production and usage of fossil fuels is increasing and the addition of clean energy has not reduced C02 emissions one bit. Once. could argue that the rate of increase has been cut — although even THAT is unproven…
