The 30-something year old bachelor who has nothing in his apartment besides a tv, a PlayStation, a fridge full of beer and a mattress on the floor probably has a smaller carbon footprint than any of us
Not necessarily. A car by itself does not have a big carbon footprint at all, the problem with cars is that basically everyone has one, uses it for everything, and gets a new one every X years.
I drive a small car that I own since 2008, at that point it was already used, and it has 85000 km on it. If everyone of my age and up did that and drove so little, we'd have like 20-100 times less carbon footprint from cars.
It wouldn't even make sense for me to upgrade to an electric car. Yes, it'd use less and greener fuel, but the amount of carbon it'd cost to produce probably wouldn't "break even" until soooo many years in the future, maybe even after I die, at which point it'd even be a bad investment, carbon-wise.
and the social environment in which it's encouraged, and less consumption is punished.
it always shocks me, as a small car drive, how hostile people are towards me for owning a car that just does it's job and has minimal costs and that I kept it for a long time. rather than the obsessive need so many people I meet who are buying a new car every few years and then whining about how much it costs.
God forbid my place only has the bare essentials I need to live happy (big ass tv / PS5 / folding chair)
The 30-something year old bachelor who has nothing in his apartment besides a tv, a PlayStation, a fridge full of beer and a mattress on the floor probably has a smaller carbon footprint than any of us
Depends if he drives a car or not.
Not necessarily. A car by itself does not have a big carbon footprint at all, the problem with cars is that basically everyone has one, uses it for everything, and gets a new one every X years.
I drive a small car that I own since 2008, at that point it was already used, and it has 85000 km on it. If everyone of my age and up did that and drove so little, we'd have like 20-100 times less carbon footprint from cars.
It wouldn't even make sense for me to upgrade to an electric car. Yes, it'd use less and greener fuel, but the amount of carbon it'd cost to produce probably wouldn't "break even" until soooo many years in the future, maybe even after I die, at which point it'd even be a bad investment, carbon-wise.
So, like almost anything, it depends.
the problem is over consumption, yeah.
and the social environment in which it's encouraged, and less consumption is punished.
it always shocks me, as a small car drive, how hostile people are towards me for owning a car that just does it's job and has minimal costs and that I kept it for a long time. rather than the obsessive need so many people I meet who are buying a new car every few years and then whining about how much it costs.