Opinion: The electric vehicle industry fails to truly combat climate change due to inconsistent energy production and the harmful extraction of raw materials.
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As we know, the U.S. has a very car-centric society that has shaped almost everything we do on a daily basis. Today, it seems as if every major car company in the U.S. is jumping on the electric vehicle (EV) craze. These ads often sell themselves as being a better alternative than gas-powered vehicles. Even though this transition would surely reduce individual carbon emissions, it will not be enough to make an actual major difference when combating climate change on a national and global level.
The Nuclear Energy Institute — which estimates the net electricity for each U.S. state including D.C. — calculated in 2021 that 74.5% of the country still relies on fossil fuel plants for electricity. This includes coal, natural gas and petroleum; which are all major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. This is a problem because most EV owners buy their cars because they believe it will eventually hinder the fossil fuel industry over time. However, they do not realize that each time they charge their new car, this electricity is most likely to be generated by a fossil fuel plant, which would cancel out the fact that the consumer is not individually polluting the environment. These ads created by the EV industry thus fall into the capitalist trap known as greenwashing. Greenwashing is when a company or corporation spends more time and money marketing itself as being environmentally friendly than actually minimizing its effect. So what is this façade?
EVs can make only a minimal difference when combating climate change depending on your U.S. state. This is due to the fact that states such as Oregon, which relies on renewable energy for their electricity, erases the carbon emissions needed to charge EVs. However, in states such as Missouri, which relies on the coal industry for its electricity, charging your car means burning more coal. Interestingly, not only is the charging inconsistently sustainable but the materials needed for the batteries of these vehicles are just as damaging to the environment.
Lithium, nickel and cobalt are just a few of the raw materials required for the EV industry’s lithium-ion batteries. Unfortunately, extracting these raw materials is extremely dangerous and harmful to the local environments of these mines. This brings us to our next issue: the exploitation of the global south. Tesla — one of the world’s top EV brands — buys 85% of its raw materials from China and Chinese-controlled supply chains. These Chinese-controlled supply chains can be found anywhere from Central Africa to South America. The problem with these raw material producers is that they are susceptible to creating detrimental environmental damages including groundwater pollution, destruction of wildlife, topsoil corrosion and harmful runoff from chemicals used in some mining operations. None of these issues scream sustainability and that is where the problems just keep piling on.
Profit and ignorance are the main takeaways when considering the EV industry. Keep this in mind the next time a Tesla tries to run you off the road.
