A pair of psychologists and an economist at the University of Turku, in Finland, have found that because the average electric vehicle (EV) owner is wealthier than the average person, they still have a bigger than average carbon footprint.
Maybe EVs are not a comprehensive climate solution??
No doubt: Richer people can afford new shiny things more often. And electric cars are new shiny things right now. But …
To learn more, the researchers obtained data from the CLIMATE NUDGE survey, which was a questionnaire sent by other researchers to thousands of people across Finland in 2022 […]
This, the researchers note, is because wealthier people in general have a bigger carbon footprint—they use more electricity, which is most often produced at a coal-burning plant, they consume more goods, the production of which tends to release greenhouse gases, and they drive more and travel more.
I have my doubts about the electrcity bit of that particular reasoning. Electricity in Finland is generated primarily from low-CO2e energy: nuclear, wind, and hydropower. IEA, Electricity Maps (be aware: the latter site’s CO2e numbers are deeply flawed, however the origin percentages are correct).
No doubt: Richer people can afford new shiny things more often. And electric cars are new shiny things right now. But …
I have my doubts about the electrcity bit of that particular reasoning. Electricity in Finland is generated primarily from low-CO2e energy: nuclear, wind, and hydropower. IEA, Electricity Maps (be aware: the latter site’s CO2e numbers are deeply flawed, however the origin percentages are correct).