Quote:
Originally Posted by Cortexiphan
But this change needs to be imposed by the government.
Educating you is much harder than putting out some new regulations. Also, government needs to protect me and my son and future generations from catastrophe. That's why the government exists.
Humans aren't that smart. When government doesn't force people to put on seatbelts, they don't wear them and die in the first 20mph accident they get into. When it doesn't force people to stop buying guns, they do and kill random people. When it doesn't force them to dump all their chemical waste into rivers, they do and kill animals and poison people. When it doesn't force them to stop smoking, they do and kill themselves. You got the idea. Or maybe not. Probably not - and that's why you need to be forced.
That's why we humans choose a government and give them the right to regulate. That's called the Social Contract.
EVs won't solve climate change by themselves. But it's a part of it. If you're obese, you wouldn't say "I can eat this large pizza by myself. Not eating this won't put me in shape anyway, so f/ck it".
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I will agree that we all need to abide by the Social Contract. Unfortunately, this appears to have weakened greatly over the last 25-30 years. If we can't figure out mutual benefit and service to others, a higher form of altruism, I fear many other things will also unravel as well.
We humans appear to be overly self-destructive and outwardly aggressive - our government should be expected to be a form of and push for a more idealized version of our society. And whether you like it or not, regulation and laws reflect that idealized state.
Or at least should.
And I think that's the rub.
BEVs pollute less and are more energy efficient? I'm pretty sure the science shows that.
Oil and petroleum products have caused mass pollution for decades? Again, science is on our side on that one (and no, carbon dioxide IS NOT harmless)
The economics of propping up the oil and gas industry? Capitalism argues that a profitable industry likely doesn't need trillions of dollars from the government and our taxes.
I get it - the devil is in the details, and we can argue when and how quickly to implement a change over.
But damn it, why does it feel like people are trying to run out the clock on this one? To some, its running out the clock on who is in charge of the government. But to some like us, its literally running the clock out on humanity.
And that pisses me off.
Just so some greasy businessmen can milk out a few more bucks, or some disingenuous politician can pocket a few bills.
Maybe we need to look a bit beyond ourself, and think of others for once.