Massachusetts has committed to put 750,000 EV’s on the road by 2030, but is falling way behind. This raises the question: do people want electric vehicles for their own sake, or do they ‘demand’ the clean convenient transportation services an EV can provide? Such a question suggests we could satisfy the demand for clean convenient transportation in a way that doesn’t rely on EV’s. Chapter 5 of the recent IPCC report puts this idea on a good basis, saying that “the potential of demand-side strategies across all sectors to reduce emissions is 40-70%.” This is a big deal, to paraphrase POTUS.

The reading list:

• Boston Globe on MA sputtering EV plans
• MassLive on the new Senate Bill
• Amy Westervelt of Drilled News on the IPCC's Chapter 5
• Chapter 5 from the IPCC. Read the Executive Summary.
• The Globe on Wu's plan to electrify school buses
• The Conversation on the myth of electric cars
• A blog on the concept of 'degrowth' in the IPCC report
• Commonwealth MAg on the slow pace of MBTA electrification
• James Aloisi in Commonwealth Magazine on the need to fund other forms of transit

Because we recognize the necessity of personal accountability for our actions, because we accept responsibility for a building a durable future and because we believe it is our patriotic duty as citizens to speak out, we must insist the United States transform it’s energy sector, over the next decade, under a just and equitable plan, that uses regulations, investments and a price on carbon that protects environmental justice communities.

Thanks for listening.

…Ted McIntyre