[ademonrower]

At current technology, my calculations (see The Decarbonization Delusion) suggest that globally it would be considerably better for the environment for us to develop synthetic fuels for powering ICEVs than further expand the EV economy using lithium batteries. The situation viz megabatteries for bridging power fluctuation is even more striking, and in that area certain raw material experts have already noted that: 1. the speed of mining would have to accelerate several thousand times to make the necessary batteries to fit in with the renewable power growth and; 2. that several of the critical metals are only present in one tenth of the necessary accessible quantity required: bottom line IT WON'T WORK. Of course, this could all change if we invent completely new battery chemistries or technologies that have MUCH less environmental impact. I'm not one to walk around saying "it's all going to be OK when the breakthrough arrives" because it's more than just a tech company at stake here: it's the ecosphere and the very biodiversity that we humans rely on for our continued existence. Ever seen the Makay cartoon of the four tsunami waves heading for humanity? First one is COVID; behind and above it economic recession; behind and above that climate crisis; and finally, towering above the other three biodiversity collapse. I'm not joking: we're well on course for that one. Looking out for industrial things that further degrade the environment is an absolute necessity: CO2 is much less complicated and much "easier" to put figures to and invent compensation schemes, certificates etc. which don't really work either. Ecosystem metrics are very complicated, but they are the long-term worrying thing. Even if we get CO2 under control, it's the wider environmental disaster that will be our final downfall.