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Cycling is ten times more important than electric cars for reaching net-zero cities (theconversation.com)
submitted 10 months ago by 0x815@feddit.de to c/bicycles@lemmy.ca
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Globally, only one in 50 new cars were fully electric in 2020, and one in 14 in the UK. Sounds impressive, but even if all new cars were electric now, it would still take 15-20 years to replace the world’s fossil fuel car fleet.

The emission savings from replacing all those internal combustion engines with zero-carbon alternatives will not feed in fast enough to make the necessary difference in the time we can spare: the next five years. Tackling the climate and air pollution crises requires curbing all motorised transport, particularly private cars, as quickly as possible. Focusing solely on electric vehicles is slowing down the race to zero emissions.

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[-] jaschen@lemmynsfw.com 33 points 10 months ago

Cycling is not the solution. It's infrastructure.

I would love a walkable city. But I can't afford housing close to the city. The bus or train system isn't strong enough or convenient enough. Our country are set up for cars. Housing prices are set up for people to drive further to live.

Have affordable housing near the places I work and I won't need to drive. Stop blaming people for living their lives around a broken infrastructure. Stop cramming bicycles down our throats. We are not the problem.

[-] Isoprenoid@programming.dev 10 points 10 months ago

We are not the problem.

Then what is the problem?

The infrastructure

And who built the infrastructure?

We did.

👉

[-] shasta@lemm.ee 19 points 10 months ago

"we" is used very liberally here. I had no say in the planning, implementation, or even the allocation of funds for the current infrastructure. In fact, most of it has existed since before I was born.

[-] spacecowboy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 10 months ago

You’ve also been able to vote in a few local elections along the way, yeah? Where I’m at there are often candidates who champion bicycle infrastructure, and it’s not a new phenomenon. More often than not they’re mocked and not elected. I imagine my city isn’t unique in that.

So yea, WE are to blame.

[-] shasta@lemm.ee 4 points 10 months ago

Sure, I'm to blame for being outvoted. Thanks. Fuck you too.

[-] spacecowboy@sh.itjust.works -4 points 10 months ago

It’s not a personal attack on your character. It’s fact. Grow the fuck up.

[-] Isoprenoid@programming.dev 3 points 10 months ago

most of it has existed since before I was born.

I'm sure a lot of things existed before you were born.

There were also a lot of things that didn't exist before you were born.

Change da world, my final message. Good bye.

[-] jaschen@lemmynsfw.com 4 points 10 months ago

I'm sick of people blaming the people. I'm sick of people trying to shove bicycles down our throats like THAT will fix the issue.

My comment was in response to the blaming of the people and pushing cycling as the solution. This article should be, how do we influence better zoming laws. How we do improve the city infrastructure.

We do vote. Every election cycle. We do what we can with our few voices.

The sooner we stop upvoting these shit articles the sooner we can fix the actual issue.

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this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2024
488 points (94.5% liked)

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