As we are entering a period of climate crisis, long-termism should be the driving force behind our political agenda. This is not occurring. Whether it is a fundamental flaw in our political system or simply human nature, the tunnel vision of recent green policies will ensure that net zero cannot be reached.
Rishi Sunak’s recent net zero U-turn shows a lack of green engagement from our current politicians. The Conservative government’s win in the recent Uxbridge by-election is due to their campaign against ULEZ. Sunak is altering his political image, to be seen as more focused on the cost-of-living crisis and reduction in inheritance tax, ready for the upcoming general election. Yet, this is not a criticism on the Tories, but on the electorate. As a general population we struggle to escape from the traps of short-term thinking and immediate personal impact. In our minds, the continual increase in inflation prevails over the inundation of the Maldives (estimated to occur in 2050).
Big brands attempt to construct an environmentally friendly façade to support their most immediate commercial goals. For example, Apple have made claims to ‘decarbonise all their platforms by 2030’. However, to manufacture their batteries, cobalt is extracted from mines in Congo. This process is not only environmentally unsustainable, but also create serious humanitarian concerns. In 2019, a lawsuit was filed by the International Rights Advocates for children in the Democratic Republic of Congo who were injured whilst mining for multiple large corporations (Apple included). The company Compare and Recycle estimates that the new iPhone 14 Pro Max has the largest carbon footprint generated in production ever. This doesn’t align with the claims made in Apple’s heavily funded ‘Mother Nature’ promotional video. As consumers, are we able to restrain ourselves from the mindless cycle of purchasing? Typing this article on my Apple Mac and responding to emails on my Apple iPhone, I am unconvinced.
Now I pose the question, how eco-friendly are the current green strategies, such as electric cars? As we move away from carbon-based fuels, lithium is growing in demand. Marco Tedesco writes an article on the ‘Paradox of Lithium’ stating that ‘producing a battery weighing 1,100 pounds emits over 70% more carbon dioxide than the production of a conventional car in Germany.’ This is due to the extraction process which also produces large amounts of mineral waste and requires a substantial water supply. As demand grows for electric vehicles, these negative effects will only increase. Land Rover are investing $4bn in a ‘gigafactory’ in Somerset which is planned to have a production rate of 20,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate each year. The lithium race has begun.
Whilst consumers may assume they make environmentally friendly choices, beneath the shiny green exterior lies a production line baked in climate-damaging bi-products. Corporations are soaked in greenwash and many cannot see past their own PR. We all applaud corporations that carbon offset by planting trees to adorn the Silicon Valley backyards. However, we know these green initiatives are a stock market story more than anything else.
Governments faced with a renewal process are forced make myopic gains for their own survival. With shareholders to please and voters to woo, governments and corporations fall at the early hurdles in the race to net zero. Whether we are willing or not, the amount we are currently spending will not get us there.
