An interesting coincidence of articles in last week’s
Observer. In the Business section, Octopus Energy promises a carbon-free future with consumers storing cheap, green electricity in banks of batteries at home and in their electric cars (“Energy needs a digital revolution, and we’re it”). But nothing comes without cost, as reported in “Child labour, toxic leaks: the price we could pay for a greener future” (News). The demand from rich countries for rare and even common minerals is already fuelling wars as well as unacceptable labour practices and ecological destruction.
We cannot tackle the climate emergency and hope to continue our rapacious habits. Today’s solution is tomorrow’s problem by virtue of the sheer numbers of humanity, the majority of whom consume next to nothing. We share this little planet with 7 billion others, not to mention all the other species. So let’s forget about an electric vehicle world and start learning to live with less. It might jus