Welcome to YouChoose, a blog where we explore ways of living sustainably. This week I wanted to discuss an interesting article I read in the September 2021 issue of the IEEE Spectrum magazine.
The article [1] details how SUVs in the US and across the world are the sector responsible for the second largest increase in global CO2 emissions after the power sector. The increase is larger than that from heavy industry, aviation, and trucks. According to the article it is very possible that, if the trend continues, the increased emissions from SUVs will more than offset the carbon reduction due to electric vehicles.
I was especially struck by this particular article because it condenses in a certain way the very problem at the core of the climate crisis. Even after all the talking about reducing emissions, global warming, and polar ice melt, when we actually have the opportunity to exercise the power of choice and make a difference we still choose the most polluting and most energy consuming car, the one that contributes the most to the crisis. It is almost a global denial, a disconnect between what we see as a global problem and how we perceive our role in it. After all there is always somebody else to blame.
This is not about being good or bad, it is more about human behavior. People who purchase SUVs are not the bad people to shame and similarly those who purchase electric cars are not the good ones who get to moralize. In my opinion this trend tells us more about how difficult it is for us to settle for less when we can have more. It also tells us that the climate crisis is somewhere in our minds, but when it intersects our everyday choices other factors take priority: making a statement about our wealth, keeping up with the rest of the crowd, wanting a larger space or the latest gadget that car makers never fail to add to newer models.
At the end of the day it is really about personal choices. Perhaps the only way to break the circle is the hard path of learning to want less and consume less, not for the purpose of making a statement or because we have to do it, but because it is what makes us happy.
For those interested, a recent article on this topic can be found on the International Energy Agency (IEA) page:
IEA (2021), Carbon emissions fell across all sectors in 2020 except for one – SUVs, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/commentaries/carbon-emissions-fell-across-all-sectors-in-2020-except-for-one-suvs
[1] Smil, V. : “SUV’s ascendant,” IEEE Spectrum, September issue, pp. 22-23, 2021
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