Footage of an oil spill in the middle of the Amazon forest.
Another shocking oil pipeline rupture in Ecuador's Amazon, courtesy of @AFrontlines.
Saw this repeatedly on my trips to the area. @Chevron admitted at trial it dumped 15 billion gallons of oil waste into rivers, creating a wave of cancers and birth defects. Now it's even worse. pic.twitter.com/sOHiO180ay
Now I know most people think that cutting down a few trees and passing oil through pipelines is all about helping the world advance. However, this footage just exemplifies the lack of understanding and appreciation we have for the environment.
A river of oil flowing into the waterways of the Amazon forest, the “lungs of the earth”, has given insights into what scientist and more recently Elon Musk has been saying.
The world is in crisis.
The World is in Crisis
Wakeup Call – Amazon Oil Spill. Whether it be climate, political, economic, or even common decency for each other, we have taken a beautiful planet, the only one we have, and turned it into a dumping ground. We rape and pillage it for our own self-worth, forgetting that somewhere down the track we will pay a price.
I know I normally write about Tesla and Electric vehicles in my weekly blog on EV-HQ.com, but this is to important not to comment.
My View
I am not an environmentalist; I am not a scientist and I have no qualifications in relation to climate.
What I do have is a commonsense state of mind and a hopeful outlook on the world.
This footage has shown that we are neglecting the very thing that we hold most dear.
This planet was not put here for us to damage and destroy but to sustain our very existence.
Without it, we are no more than atoms floating in an empty void.
I don’t want to be a hypocrite by saying we have to give up on all things oil-based, but surely, we can do better. We can treat each other better and we can make better choices.
Currently, in Australia, the federal political landscape is arguing over the government’s choices around climate change and environmental responsibilities. In the electric vehicle community, there is frustration that the federal government is not doing more to transition to sustainable energy. Decisions should be made based upon the urgency and needs of the citizens.
Wake Up call
This footage should be a wake-up call that the world has a responsibility to manage it better. To see the choices of those of the past and realize that everything we thought to be correct may need questioning and reevaluating.
Change is hard!
Those who make the brave decisions now, will be better remembered by history in kind.
Those that choose the keep their heads in the sand and do nothing will be tarnished with inaction.
Better choices
I have written before about making better choices for our children and grandchildren.
I have showcased those in previous blogs those that have worked to provide better choices. Here in Australia Greg McGarvie and ACE-EV have done just that with the introduction of their Electic Vehicle line up.
Elon Musk has been a giant advocate for the transition to sustainable energy. His companies like Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company and so many more are all about improving the environment or helping to assist humanity to be better.
Image Courtesy of Time.com
Many would criticize this stand but in combination, all his companies can achieve so much more than by themselves. Something the world may need to consider for itself.
United we stand a better chance of overcoming adversity and challenge than individually.
If nothing else the footage from the amazon oil spill should demonstrate we need to do things differently. We need to step up, acknowledged our mistakes of the past, and work to rectify them, whilst considering each other.
The world is being run by greed, it’s time to run it with compassion, consideration, and understanding for each other and the world around us.
2050 – Its about time!!! Last week the Australian Nationals Party as part of the Coalition Government that currently governs Australia, agreed to the target of Zero Emission by 2050. This is an in-principal agreement but a step forward for Australia.
It is a hollow victory since a number of the states had already set much stronger targets. This is Just the Federal Govenerment playing catchup.
This agreement by the Nationals was formalized with the announcement by the Prime minister to meet zero emissions by 2050 for Australia. This announcement finally brings Australia into alignment with the rest of the developed worlds targets.
What does this, actually mean.
It means focus, direction, planning.
Allows businesses and renewables companies, electric vehicles companies and many more to be able to plan for a brighter future.
Including finding opportunities to replace the aging infrastructure and vehicles on the roads.
It also allows the public to reap the rewards of a country that has a direction to a brighter future.
Small Victories
I don’t credit this decision to the politicians, I grant it to the people who have worked tirelessly over the years to champion the move towards renewables.
The scientists that have been advising, discussing, and yelling that this type of change should have happened decades ago.
The people who have started businesses up against a difficult environment and challenged by the lack of support.
Environmentalists who have for years shown through all social media, documentaries, and written articles the impact we as humans have had on the world around us.
This change in policy when implemented will be a game changer for Australia who has a lot of catching up to do compared to the rest of the world.
Will there be change and challenge? YES.
Will it be easy, NO
But is it necessary?
If recent weather events, Bushfires and disasters globally are anything to go by then yes, it is long overdue.
2050 – Its about time!!!
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Actions speak louder than words
Of course, announcing the agreement to meet this target is one thing but for Australia and by extension the rest of the world to meet these targets action on a scale not seen for decades will need to occur.
The adage “Action speaks louder than words” should be the motto that we all live by when it comes to environmental change to improve the world around us.
We need to leave this place better than we found it. Not burnt, drowned, ravaged, and destroyed. Not a legacy that I wish to hand over to our children to clean up.
This must be the start not the end of our steps to turn things around.
2050 – Its about time!!! Change is hard, we can be stuck in the same patterns for years and not be able to move , but if we each do a small thing that makes something better, then cumulatively we can all move worlds.
Australia is standing on a precipice not wanting to take the leap. We should not be scared, we should be encouraged that we have a road forward and lots of people who have great ideas, innovations and inspiration that will help us to transition, believe and become a powerhouse to the future. Australia “Its Time to Lead“
“Space the final frontier”, it seems that every time I hear these words of late the first thing, I think of is Space X. History in real life !!!
The importance of going to space cannot be lost on the average person because it is the inspiration of visionaries that helps to inspire the soul to dream big and see many and new things come to the fore.
Space X
Right now, we are living history right before our eyes.
Space X is proving that if you strive for the stars then the stars won’t seem so far away, and the human spirit will soar.
Over the last weeks it has become much clearer that we are seeing history for both the good reasons and the bad reasons.
Recently the World Health Organization highlighted the severity of our consternation about the environmental impacts our daily lives are causing to the environment.
Our thirst for the things we want and things we need are having grave and destructive implications to the world around us.
The introduction of Electric vehicles is one of many changes that we need to make to help the environment and the daily lives of our fellow humans.
So why are we taking so long to realize that we have the power at hand to make positive changes to the way we see the world.
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Change is hard
It turns out that people don’t like change especially when they are comfortable in their own worlds. It is only when significant change is necessary that the realization that change is necessary to reduce remove and reverse the impacts of the previous actions.
This has been no more prevalent than with the Pandemic of 2020. The world had to change the way that they conducted themselves in short order. We have adjusted to different ways of life since then. Some good, others not so much. But the reality is we did change because we had too.
Italy, Greece, Europe, and many other locations across the globe are currently experiencing wildfires, floods, famines and so much more. Environmental impacts are being felt. ( Courtesy of NBC.com)
So, it is up to us to find a way to help ourselves, our fellow humans and find a future that makes a difference.
This is History in real life. Elon musk had a vision, just like a small child, wanting to see the future, yet as he got older that future never happened, so he made it happen.
He made a choice to go against the apathy and push the limits. He has inspired and driven more people towards that future, and they, continue to see the truth of our actions upon this world and are inspired to find new ways to help.
In Tesla’s recent “Impact Report” a clear set of metrics that Tesla and their customers has achieved are having real world impacts. Yet more needs to be done.
Tesla Vertical integration
Tesla has never hidden the fact that they want to transition the world to sustainable energy. They now have the ability for everyone to realize that dream with the integration of their products.
Electric vehicles, powered by solar panels that store energy for use later in battery packs. A view of the world that only 10 years ago seemed far out of reach for the average person.
Image courtesy of Tesla.com
Recycling materials
Reuse of materials seems to be less important in today’s age of single use throwaway society yet Tesla factors this into their vehicles and products. Specifically, they demonstrated that the battery metals can be recycled up to 92%. It is opportunities like this that will have real world impacts on the environment around us.
Image courtesy of Tesla.com
Emissions
One of the most important items within the Impact Report was the point about EV ownership and emissions. Tesla by its very nature is environmentally focused and has demonstrated this on several fronts.
Reduction of emissions can lead to improvements of health and reduce preventable deaths. It seems that EV’s are helping to assist this behavior by not having a tail pipe that produces emissions.
Image courtesy of Tesla.com
Accidents
When discussing preventable deaths Tesla also highlighted a significant drop in vehicle accidents when utilizing their vehicles across autopilot, active safety features, and again with no safety features. Their results are significantly less than the Average for the US.
Image courtesy of Tesla.com
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These statistics demonstrate the benefits of driving a vehicle with 5-star safety rating and advanced safety systems designed to keep the occupants and the environment around the vehicle safe.
Inspiring childhood dreams
Space X and the invention of the Starship by Elon a visionary and the space X team have inspired a generation of up-and-coming kids that the dreams they have a child are now history in real life. The ability to inspire, feed the hopes and dreams and give hope when all seems hopeless, cannot be underestimated.
It is incredible to think that as a small child dreaming of spaceships and flying cars with robots that help me do my homework that the development of those things had to happen, and it is now that we are seeing that realization come to life.
I hope that this inspiration and passion for the future helps to continue to inspire and grow those young minds to dream big, to move forward with humanity and environmental concerns in mind and to see History in real life become reality of the future.
I have followed Tesla and the electric vehicle market for a number of years. In that time i have become a fan of the new and evolving companies. I continue to watch as they strive to become leaders in the field of renewables and electric vehicles.
However, my own country, does not see transitioning to renewables as a priority. Yet, they have been party to the pollution by providing the resources to burn.
Since American President Joe Biden has taken office, he has made it very clear that the USA will again be leading by example. When it comes to the environment and electrification of the transport industry America is leading from the front.
Norway has for many years been the leader in the uptake of electric vehicles and transitioning to sustainable energy production. With an average annual amount of sunlight in one of their cities, “Oslo”, seeing sun hours of 1690 hours. In comparison Perth in Western Australia gets 3212 hours of sun a year. Australia can do more.
Norway, a country that sees almost half the amount of sunlight of Australia. It has transitioned to almost all of its electricity generation being done by renewables. Australia can do more
Norway utilizes wind, solar and hydroelectric options. Australia suggests Gas recovery. We can do more.
Closer to home New Zealand has become a leader in the renewables and transition to EV’s as well. New Zealand is looking to the future and leading the way in uptake of electric vehicles within our region. Recently the New Zealand government declared a Climate Emergency. This declaration is not just words on a page.
The Prime Minister and the government have followed this declaration with a number of specific actions. This is designed to help kick start the process of undoing what the environment has had done to it over the many decades.
It does seem strange that just a short 3-hour flight from New Zealand is Australia. A country that has large areas of land that could easily be used to help generate many and varied types of energy from renewable sources.
So, a country that has an abundance of sunlight including resources that can help to build, store and distribute electricity without the use of coal, oil or gas has decided that a gas lead recovery of the economy is essential.
Australia was once known as the lucky country, a place of prosper and wealth. A place of sunshine and fun, and a place with some of the deadliest animals in the world.
We as a country cannot stand by while the rest of the world shifts all their thinking to focus on transitioning to renewable energy production and increase the uptake of electric vehicles.
Instead, we have a prime minister that puts his worth in a lump of coal and believes that electric vehicles are not as capable as Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles.
Power generation
Power generation in Australia is mainly produced by coal powered power stations. In 2019 it was reported by Energy.gov.au (https://www.energy.gov.au/data/electricity-generation ) that 79% of electricity generation was produced by fossil fuels including Coal, Oil and Gas. Coal, Oil and Gas, all non-renewable resources that pollute the air we breathe and environment from where it is taken.
There is a saying that goes something like we should “Try and leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate, you have not wasted your time but have done your best. (Robert Baden-Powell)
This is truer today than it has ever been before. I hope that the prime minister of Australia starts to think about this more than the people influencing his and his cabinets decision making when discussing the future of renewables and electric vehicles.
In the transport sector, hybrids, alternative fuels and electric vehicles present opportunities to improve road transport efficiency and reduce emissions, although pre-2030 abatement potential is limited by the turnover of Australia’s light vehicle fleet (average age of 10 years) and the readiness of these technologies to support emissions reduction in the heavy vehicle fleet.
Both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are predicted to experience increasing uptake. While sometimes seen as competing technologies, they each meet specific consumer and industry needs. For example, fuel cells are considered more readily scalable to bigger vehicles, heavier loads and longer distances such as in long-haul transport.12 Current battery technology constraints suggest BEVs are more likely to be suited to personal use and light commercial vehicles, particularly back-to-base fleets.
Refuelling and broader transport infrastructure will continue to evolve with the changing composition of Australia’s transport fleet. The Roadmap will complement other initiatives, such as the forthcoming National
It is interesting that it mentions Hybrids as one of the first options for vehicles then goes on to say that Battery Electric vehicles being one of the best options for suited to personal use.
This sounds all very reasonable except actions speak louder than words and the current discussion in different states like NSW and SA is the introduction of taxes rather than incentives.
Work together
There needs to be clear leadership in the space of uptake of electric vehicles just like there is in New Zealand. Australia needs to work alongside other governments who are promoting the uptake of renewable technologies for the improvement of the environment.
We need to look abroad and see the good work that is being done to drive our cities, towns and residents towards an uptake of renewables like solar and battery storage and help to create market opportunities both through incentives and business assists to create a more competitive market and price for Battery Electric vehicles.
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Look to the future
The quote from Robert Baden Powell suggests that for us as a society to move beyond our current situation we need to look forward not back. Currently the Australian government is only looking back to what they had and not looking forward to what could be.
It would seem that nothing is being considered for the generations ahead and instead it is all consideration for the big oil and coal companies that seem to be getting away with whatever they want because the government takes a slice.
It is time to change the story and direction that Australia is taking. Time is running out; we are becoming complacent assisters to those who continue to pollute the air we breathe.
Transitioning to electric, wind and Hydro is the first step in making the future we now dread better than what we had dreamed.
If we act now, we can also be proud and feel satisfied that we made the hard decision when it was the least popular, we chose to stand tall and help rather than hinder.
It is time that we each start to look at what we can do to help the future generations, our kids’ generation, to look better than what it does now.
Don’t be that person who is confronted by their kids asking, “Why did you not do anything?”
#timetolead
Prime minister Scott Morrison it is #timetolead. You have the ability to be courageous and set the targets and look at the future beyond the haze of the bushfires, heat waves and 100-year storms that happen almost every other year and look to the possibilities of what is able to be achieved. You have the power to start the journey to lead us back towards the clear air. As Robert Baden Powell said make sure “you have not wasted your time but have done your best”.
Dave
David McCann
EV-HQ founder, passionate about sharing the passion for Tesla and Electric Vehicles everywhere.
Tesla share price hit $1000, let’s not forget the Mission. In the world of today money makes the cogs turn and grind. We are in an unprecedented time when the world of electrification is at a pivotal point. History is knocking at the door and we as a society are starting to look and hear what that means.
The COVID-19 pandemic has given the world a wakeup call to the importance of looking after the environment. One of the first helpful step is to transition gas cars to electric cars.
Tesla Share Price
This week we saw money truly take hold with the share price of Tesla hit $1000 a share. This milestone for Tesla is important as it allowed them to become the most valuable car company across the globe.
The significance of this milestone is profound, Tesla’s mission is all about transitioning to a sustainable future. Electrification is the method to alleviate the issues with climate change.
Tesla has made it very clear that the products they supply can and will allow for clean production, storage and use of energy.
The share price rise is one indicator that people are starting to see that what Tesla offers and has in the new development stage is quite compelling.
The possibilities that the Tesla vehicles possess are far ahead of any competitor. This head start is what makes TMesla a valuable asset to hold.
Australia
Image courtesy of Tesla
Recently in Australia there has been a shifting of the sands towards investigating the possibilities for electric vehicles. More car companies are starting to deliver new electric cars to the market for example, Kia, Ford and Hyundai.
The government still continues to be slow in their approach towards climate change and by extension electrification of motor vehicles. This apathy will lead to Australia falling behind the rest of the world with moving to a sustainable future.
Tesla is just one of many companies working to bring cars to the market. They, however, differ greatly from other car manufacturers as they believe themselves to be a technology company not a Car company.
This distinction is what allows them to be progressive and motivated to develop and grow new and compelling ideas. It is this fresh thinking that gives rise to new means of transportation, new ways of capturing and utilizing energy and unseen new ideas yet to be discovered.
To follow the old handbook is to be left behind wondering where everyone went. It’s time to look at a new approach.
Like tesla with their dedicated mission and diversity of products it’s time to realize that helping the environment is not a one trick pony but a wholistic vision that encompasses more than just one product.
To deliver a mission that encompasses many products to achieve an overall outcome seems to be the best way forward as Tesla has demonstrated. So, its important that Tesla share price hit $1000 let’s not forget the Mission that they are heading towards.
Tesla has proved that this is the way forward. I hope that when people support Tesla by buying their shares they are doing so because they want to see the mission moving forward.
What a Year!!!!! Let me explain, it is very rare that my daytime job and the world of Electric Vehicles cross paths….. EV-HQ.com Daves Latest Blog…. I’m Back
Test Driving Model Y Australia. Last Monday I had the privileged of being able to take the Model Y for a test drive. here are my thoughts. Dave EV-HQ.com
We have been sitting pretty for a while now. Clean air, beautiful beaches, clear oceans and not much else. The world has had a taste of what it is like to feel the fresh breeze on their faces and the sweet smells of spring in the air. The environment has been amazing whilst we have reduced our driving of combustion engines during the COVID 19 stay at home orders across the globe.
However, in Australia, there is a storm brewing and it is going to set the tone for the next decade and beyond.
The Past
100 years ago we as a society of free thinking people made a decision between electric and internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, this decision has had ramifications that most people in today’s world would deny.
Reports on news channels of large bushfires, weather patterns that are more ferocious and damaging than ever before, disease and famine in countries to dry to grow crops, all this can be related back to burning of fossil fuels. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/04/climate/climate-change-acceleration.html
Battle Lines have been drawn between Renewables vs Fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have propped up the economy for decades and the innovative new thinking of Non-polluting Renewables is starting to show real value.
Hornsdale
One of the best examples of the non-polluting renewables is the Hornsdale Battery(https://hornsdalepowerreserve.com.au ). The Hornsdale battery has proven that non-polluting renewables can be more valuable and responsive than traditional power plants.
Examples like this are all around us we just need to be able to see through the fog of miss information and see the detail of the issue and the outcomes of the new innovative thinkers to see the benefits that it brings.
Australian Government stance
Currently the liberal government have very clearly stated, before COVID 19 came along, that they are not as focused on the environmental impacts as they try getting the bottom line back in the black.
This was no more demonstrated by the removal of the environmental portfolio in the government ministry from the cabinet to a sub role.
This change put a nail in many believer’s ideas about there being some progressive thinking within the government. However, COVID-19 and the stay at home management of the spread has certainly turned Australia on its ear and put it in debt to the tune of over 130 billion dollars.
This budget deficit offers an opportunity for the government to show leadership. They have shown leadership when the management of the country was going through the shutdown but now it is time to show leadership in how we move into the future.
To help grow the economy again it is imperative that all options be considered. In doing this it is also important to look at the long term impacts both economically, politically and environmentally.
The government in Australia has not had a good track record with their support for new innovative ideas surrounding the environment.
As we have seen with regards to the COVID 19 virus the environment if taken for granted has a way of hitting back.
If we are to move into the next generations with the ability to hold our heads up high and be mindful of the impact we as a society have then we need to move towards non polluting renewables.
What others are doing
Across the globe there are a number of countries which have made large strides to introduce the following elements to assist the transition with great effect. These include projects that are based upon;
Project like these,post COVID 19, can be the catalyst to grow industries that help to get the budget back in black faster whilst taking on the responsibility to manage the current environmental impact of fossil fuels.
The economy right now needs help to get back the losses that we have had over the last couple of months. We need fresh ideas and ways forward. This can only be achieved if the government , the people ,the innovators and business combine their resources to move Australia forward.
It is important to take stock of what we have, look at how we have changed in the COVID 19 world and start to look towards helping the future generations to live a happy healthy life without pollution and pain.
The Battle Lines have been drawn between Renewable vs Fossil fuels, lets hope that our Leaders have the courage to take not only the first step, but many more after that and help Australia find its way into the future and to the self-reliant future of the non-polluting renewables age.
Take a breath and you will fill your lungs with clean pollution free air. If electric cars impact the environment it may be the same.
3 months ago, we worked, we played, we drove, and we enjoyed life. We had become immune to the subtle changes around us. So subtle that even the air had changed, and we didn’t really care.
The environment had gone through a significant change and we had been enjoying our lives we didn’t really notice. Many scientist and climate change advocates had been talking about the levels of pollution that had become over whelming for the earth to manage for years. Were we not listening? Did we not want to listen? or Were we to ignorant to listen? Why worry? nothing is going to happen to me! I am having a great life this is something I don’t need to worry about.
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Then something happened that will forever have an impact upon each of our lives. A small city in China, a place no one really had ever heard of until it became ground zero for one of the worst virus outbreaks in the last 50 – 100 years.
Many countries had to shut down, close the doors and turn the wonderful life off. Many people complained, many people didn’t understand and many more felt that their god given right to do whatever they want was being taken away.electric cars impact the environment
Regardless of how people felt, within a couple of weeks something truly amazing started to occur. Blue sky returned to large cities, beautiful mountain ranges thought lost from view started to reappear, all sorts of animals, dogs, deer’s, tigers, lions, badgers and birds all returned to take the place of the humans that disappeared.electric cars impact the environment
The air smelt different and clean and the sun beat down like never before. The blue of the sky was more beautiful than could be recalled. The scents of the plants and flowers were now more pungent and enticing than ever.
Pollution not only dropped, it disappeared, to levels not seen for over 2 decades. Cities that were usually covered in a thick toxic SMOG had clear skies above them.
Unfortunately, this is only temporary whilst people are stuck in doors and not driving combustion engines and polluting the air with nitrogen dioxide and Co2.
It is Temporary !!!!!
But it can change, you see this is exactly how our modern cities could be if only we made some changes.
Converted cars to electric
Stopped factories from burning oil, gas and coal
Changed the way we look at our environment around us
Replaced the trees we have cut down.
The industrial revolution gave us many and varied wonderful things. Although it has also been pumping pollutants into the air for a couple hundred years and now we are the recipients of the negative effects. But we are at a tipping point! With the shutdown we are getting glimpses of what it could be like if only we lift our heads and start to make some changes.
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You see we almost had the opportunity 100 years ago to make the start of that change when electric vehicles were the dominant vehicle. However when the combustion engine, that Ford popularized with the Model T, was introduced the electric engine lost that battle. The idea however continued to sit in the background and every so often have a shot at being more than an afterthought.
Tesla in recent history has with their passion to convert the world to sustainable energy taken the electric vehicle to a level never before realized. In doing so they have again given us a shot as retribution and a possible solution to the current issue with pollution.
Introduction of electric motors, battery storage and renewable energy capture gives us the ability to make significant individual changes to the environment around us. But Governments also need to see the impacts and start to make significant change.
Recent events should give us a wakeup call!!!!!!! We are Vulnerable! We need to appreciate the world that we are missing because we have not noticed the subtle negative changes that have impacted our environment and lives.
Let’s choose to buy electric cars, solar, wind and water energy solutions.
Lets choose to store that energy in batteries.
Let’s choose to influence our elected officials to make smarter choices that help people to breath fresh air and improve the skies around us.
Let’s choose to take an opportunity that came from a horrible situation and see what mother earth has to offer.
Let’s put back what we stole and bring light back to the cities we love.
Let’s start with a small step to recovery
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I have started my own journey by purchasing solar and had it configured to accept a battery. I back Tesla with my website as I believe they have the right attitude and philosophy. I look forward to the day when I can purchase a Tesla battery and I am passionately looking forward to the look day I cannot wipe the smile off my face when I take delivery of a Tesla vehicle.
