A study from the University of Texas has shown that it takes 12 tonnes of carbon emissions to build an electric vehicle (EV), as opposed to six tonnes to build a petrol-driven vehicle. It also showed that hybrid cars were even less toxic to build and are the most efficient. It concluded that a driver would have to go 100,000 kilometres at least before the net emission savings benefits of EVs above petrol cars kicked in. 

Hybrids use a smaller battery that constantly charges whenever the petrol part kicks it. That’s good news for hybrids, but not so good news for the ACT government, which is going hell for leather into EVs, and only wants EVs sold in the ACT after 2030.

Countries such as Australia, the UK, and those of Western Europe and North America need a reality check. 

Firstly, it is by no means certain we will have baseload electricity to power all these EVs by 2030. 

Secondly, it seems there is little benefit to reducing emissions unless we use hybrid vehicles.

Thirdly, and speaking of emissions generally, 47 per cent of all emissions in the world are from countries that have refused to commit to zero emissions by 2050 – namely China (30 per cent of all emissions and rising); India (7 per cent, and which needs to bring 300 million citizens out of poverty); and Russia (6 per cent, and which is enjoying punishing Western Europe for their lunacy of going headlong into renewables with disastrous results in blackouts and huge cost rises as a result of very little electricity being produced in 2021/22 due to a lack of wind and sun). Other smaller countries make up the remaining 4 per cent. It is probably too late to stop human-induced climate change unless the world’s population shrinks from eight billion to five billion in the next five or so years, which obviously won’t happen. We need to adjust.

Fourthly, solar panels have a 20-year life span, are quite large, and end up in landfill. They contain toxins that will contaminate the soil as do the various components of wind turbines. Where on earth do we safely put all these used solar panels?

As well, there is a developing ethical dimension to all this. China supplies 80 per cent of Australia’s solar panels and most of our wind turbines. But it is becoming apparent that China extracts materials from mines in the Congo where child slave labour is used. The solar panels and many wind turbine components are made by Muslim Uyghur slaves in the ‘re-education camps’. What do Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, the Teals, the Federal and ACT Greens, and ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr intend to do about it?

We need to look at other more effective and ethical ways of getting to 43 per cent by 2030.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Canberra Daily.

Canberra Daily would love to hear from you about a story idea in the Canberra and surrounding region. Click here to submit a news tip.