Smith, Joshua Emerson. “Why California Isn’t Banking on Electric Cars to Replace Public Transit in Greener Future.” Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2022, https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/transportation/story/2022-12-02/will-electric-cars-replace-the-need-for-public-transit-in-san-diego.
This article portrayed the unrealistic climate change goals in California. At the rate we are headed, we will not reach our plan to meet the state’s target of carbon neutrality by 2045 unless the average person cuts their average daily miles from 25 to 17 miles. This article also claims that the demand for electric vehicles will not be sufficient enough to meet the goal of banning all gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. Many citizens must trade long car commutes for neighborhood and public transportation in order to really make a difference. This article also warns on the dangers of electrifying our world with cars, homes, cooking and heating. This creates a large electrical demand which contradicts the original purpose of many new developments in the electrical industry. Additionally, the debate over the future of transit options in California is heavily reliant on disagreements about housing. Population density is another factor that affects the future of transportation, and no factor too small should be overlooked.
This article was very interesting and informative. I learned that maybe we should be putting our money into public transportation instead of electric vehicles. This is a complicated debate that affects almost everyone, and it’s important to not overlook certain communities as well. The future of transportation cannot reach its full potential without actions from the citizens. I also found it interesting how even though we are trying to move away from fossil fuels, electric cars increase the demand for electricity, which continues the cycle of fossil fuels. It almost seems impossible to get away from fossil fuels in the future, as they are so tightly built into our society. I hope that California reaches its goal of becoming carbon-neutral and we can act as a role model for other states and countries.
Julia- I think this is a really important article the shows just how complex this issue is. If we are using fossil fuels to charge EVs is that really that big of an env. win? To think all of CA going EV is going to change the climate situation I think is missing the picture. We Americans have a thing for having our own vehicles. What do you think it would take for mass transportation to really make a shift in CA so people really preferred using that when they could? One thing to consider is that the federal and state govts massively subsidize fossil fuels and the car industry when they build and maintain all the roads for them to drive on. What if that same kind of subsidization went into mass transit?
Hope you found this topic to be interesting for you. You consistently delivered well written abstracts and your follow up paragraphs show you have an informed nuanced position. Thanks, Julia!
Hi, thank you for reading! I agree, this issue is very complex and it seems silly to use fossil fuels to charge electric vehicles. I think our government plays a key role in making the change towards zero-emission public transportation. I also think that as a community its important to push for regulations like this. Subsidizing this is also another good idea, and we should focus on this!