top | item 42689947

(no title)

a_imho | 1 year ago

There are some variables to consider, but even using grid energy mix most EVs -including cars- have a smaller co2 emission per mile than bikes, due to agriculture having quite a big eco footprint.

https://archive.ph/YgEe8

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/ghg-kcal-poore

discuss

order

tim333|1 year ago

I'd dispute some of the reasoning with those - the first one is assuming the cyclist is fueling themselves with fruit, something quite expensive with limited calories rather than the real stuff people fuel up on like bread or potatoes.

a_imho|1 year ago

The math is indeed off in the tweet, as fruitarian should be 2.5x worse instead of 1.5.

I don't think the 5g/kcal is expensive according to the chart, it is a good average for omnivores, consider the biker being fueled by cheeseburgers on the other end of the spectrum. If you have a more efficient EV (smaller car, even scooter for commute), put in whole family instead of riding alone in a car, or have more efficient means to charge the EV like surplus renewables you can't store/use at home the difference is getting quite staggering. One could argue the manufacturing of the EV emits more co2 than manufacturing a bike and we should control for miles drive/rode during their lifecycle but if both are available using the EV is most probably the environmentally friendlier option. That said, I won't give up my bike either because I enjoy the exercise, but it is a lot less green than one would imagine without looking at the numbers.