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How smaller, more affordable electric cars can accelerate the green transition
(theconversation.com)
Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.
As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades:
How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world:
Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:
Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't part of the problem that the auto industry wants to chase the higher profit margins on larger vehicles? As long as the perverse incentive is present it's going to be an uphill battle to get them to produce more compact, cost effective cars.
EPA rules also play a part. Why we can't have small trucks:
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Why+we+can%27t+have+small+trucks
Pick any source ya like.
That's exactly the problem — in the US there's an extra tariff on larger vehicles, so the manufacturers face less competition and therefore earn greater profits if they only make big vehicles.
An argument I heard was that larger and luxurious cars finance the technology development necessary to produce more economic cars. Which I guess is true to some extend.
But there are also many other aspects that favor large and expensive cars over cheap and economic. We still should demand tighter regulations on cars.