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Modern society has touted electric cars as a sustainable innovation and the future of transportation. However, this is too good to be true, as the push for electric cars only prolongs the issue of car dependency and does not move the needle in terms of mitigating climate change. Millions of Americans own gasoline cars, so expecting them to stop driving the cars they already own to buy another one is costly and unsustainable. Additionally, the batteries found in electric cars pose serious safety risks of their own, casting doubt on their practicality.

Before I continue any further, I want to emphasize that in no way am I praising gasoline cars. Many are aware of the harm they have caused to the environment, and the sale of gasoline in the United States funds the very highways that have dismembered many of our great cities.

Strictly looking at the electric cars themselves, they will produce extreme amounts of waste to our landfills. According to a 2020 publication by Greenpeace, over 12 million tons of lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles are expected to be discarded, and over 10 million tons of metals will be mined to replace them. The metals which go into electric cars are finite, so stripping mines bare just to place them in cars will not be wise. 

Sure, it is possible to recycle batteries, but out of all the batteries discarded, I would put my money on the majority of them simply being tossed. 

Also, before these lithium-ion car batteries even make it into the landfill, they pose a safety risk, as they are prone to catching fire.

As mentioned before, focusing on switching to electric cars will not make a significant difference in improving the quality of life in the United States. Our zoning laws are not designed around people, they are designed around cars, so in many places in the United States, there is no real way to get around without a car. Of course, tearing up all the freeways and installing streetcars is not likely to happen, so a simple solution might be for localities to invest in more bus routes. Those with an immense love for electric vehicles can even receive a bit of a compromise, as cities such as Minneapolis have already begun implementing electric buses. 

Although existing automotive infrastructure is not conducive to human-scale development, buses are a great way to use what already exists while making it less necessary to own a car.

As with nearly any other environmental cause, the burden does not fall squarely on the consumer to take direct action, but there is still plenty we can do. Local officials have the power to shape transportation infrastructure, so let them know what you would like to see from them. If quality public transportation is inaccessible to you, consider carpooling with neighbors, coworkers or friends.

By no means is this a call to shame those who own electric cars. Sustainable transportation is an incredibly nuanced concept and there are multiple ways to approach it. In some cases, choosing an electric car over a gasoline-powered one might actually be the right choice. Electric cars just aren’t an umbrella solution for the pollution caused by gasoline cars.