cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/54245880
The U.S. war with Iran has raised fossil fuel prices so much that the resulting drop in oil demand has put the world on track to see a rare dip in carbon emissions from these sources in 2026.
Between 2019 and 2025, carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels grew by about 0.8 percent annually, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change. But 2026 is set to buck that trend: high oil prices, as well as the continued rise of green technology—solar power, wind and electric cars—will cause a “short-term” 0.4 percent drop, according to the study.
“The high petrol prices following the war in Iran are reducing oil use and keeping emissions low,” says the study’s lead author Corinne Le Quéré, a professor of climate change science at the University of East Anglia in England. “But that’s not the whole story: The expansion of renewable energy has progressed a lot in recent years, led by China. And [along with electric vehicles], this is offsetting two thirds of the growing demand for energy.”
With all sources of carbon considered, including deforestation, total global CO2 emissions are set to continue increasing.
The sad thing is that, like everything, the only people who can escape the insane prices are the ones in a place privileged enough to be able to afford to. I live in an apartment building and even if I was on the first floor and my landlord was ok with me running an extension cord out my window, across the pathway, and to the parking lot (I’m not and they’d kill me) fairly often I have to park my car 2 buildings away and walk the equivalent of a block and a half to my apartment. I also can’t come close to affording a new car, mine is from the early 2010s. I drive an hour to work and an hour to school in the opposite direction, and constantly driving 20 minutes to the nearest charging station isn’t a viable option either (nor is public transportation or an e-bike, because of the distances I go every day).
I’m all for electric and I’m glad you were able to make the switch, but a lot of us who can’t afford the gas prices sure as hell can’t afford to buy electric, because it’s not just the car, it’s the logistics. Until the infrastructure for electric becomes more common and apartment complexes put charging stations in (I’m sure some do, but I can’t afford rent in those places) electric cars are a privilege for the rich and those who live in houses and have private parking.
And yet even you
Charging at home is certainly the cheapest most convenient option. A few landlords will support that (we used to have incentives). When your lease ends, looking for a charging option may modify your decision.
But more and more places have destination charging. Some restaurants. Some parking garages. Some shopping centers. If I regularly went to the mall, it would be trivial to keep my vehicle charged. I also have free charging at work! But the point is to look around. There are options, more all the time, and at done point it may work for you
Most landlords have no incentives to install chargers until people ask for it and make decisions on it.
My landlord is awesome, my apartment is nice, my rent is on the cheaper end and they barely raise it every year, and I quite literally can’t afford to move right now.
I don’t go to restaurants (I can’t afford it) and the nearest shopping centers with charging ports have the charger I was talking about that is 20 minutes away. We don’t have parking garages here,I don’t live in a city (nor do I want to).
I’m not changing my entire life for a fucking car, and I couldn’t even if I wanted to.
You people make it so simple and think everyone who doesn’t follow the party line is a traitor, but some of us don’t have the means or privilege to do so and I just wanted to point that out.
Why new car? There are electric cars from the early 2010s as well, some of them even have free charging!
Does your work or school not have charging points? If not, that’s the classic supply-demand problem…
Like, I don’t have charging at home either, but I can drive several hours without charging. You possibly could too. Have you checked your stretches on something like A Better Routeplanner for example?
Even if I was to use exclusively superfast charging, it’d still be cheaper than diesel. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, and drive to the middle of nowhere, the charge-anxiety can often be exaggerated, or at least it was in my case.
(I understand the real problem is an electric car might not be affordable enough for you, but I’ve become peeved about charge-anxiety)
My work and school do not have charging points. I also put in 70 hour weeks between work and school, I’m not spending any of my precious little free time driving 20 minutes away to sit in a parking lot and charge.
I know this might sound offcolor, but why even have a car at all at that point? Why not move to a supermajor city where you can bike/transit everywhere instead?
I was in a very similar situation to you when I moved out of my parents’s house and above is similar to what I did.
Moving is extremely expensive. Besides passing for a truck and fuel, you pay first, last, and often an additional month’s rent, if renting, plus utility deposits, but any deposit refunds usually lag a month. Assume you also are still working trying to get all this done, or aren’t and on a fixed income.
It totally is expensive, but it’s cheaper than driving 2 hours a day for 2-4 years (insurance, maintenance, registration, gas). Besides that, the health of the matter is that driving that much is terrible for you physically.
Cars have become this albatross across everyone’s neck in the US, and it makes me super sad that people don’t naturally try to get away from being chained to one.
Okay but f the poor who can’t and most need to do that. 🤷♀️
It’s like I said, it is possible to save up money by extreme measures, considering that 2+hours of driving is already in that camp (especially as a student). The sad thing is that even with a bachelors degree, that’s not even enough to “solve” one’s financial problems in the short term. It took me 7 years after college to start to become financially independent. All I’m saying is that it’s generally easier to rip off the bandaid sooner and move to the city and just not have a car.
What extreme measures? Selling drugs or oneself, stealing and fencing, robbery?
Delivery apps, boiled chicken and rice meals twice a day, live in your car (or with family/roommate). Start networking early for jobs while in school. Sell everything you own. Have nothing but your laptop+phone and personal items.
I’m not saying it’s the right thing to do always, and I’m not saying it’s morally right, but that’s what I did (save for living in a car; I didn’t have one). It really was painful at times, but it was the only way to save money when I was making 10$/hour.
To be clear: I’m all for standard free public housing for the poor, but it just isn’t going to happen in rural America, let alone every major city.
I got you. I guess I was more thinking of people with medical conditions or older people, because there’s a lot of that in my rural community. In fact, I don’t know anyone of any age who doesn’t need regular medical care.