cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/20009882
Car tires shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment. Urgent action is needed
Electric cars are not THE solution.
Yeah, in Germany there is already a lot of pressure on sewage network operators to get it out of the rainwater (we have many separate sewer systems). And that is honestly quite annoying. Put the pressure on the polluter (car/tire industry and car drivers), not the troubleshooter.
It is also a waste of money and space. The facilities to get it out are huge and expensive. This is also naturally paid for by the general public.
Problem is that there is no good mechanism to put pressure on polluter in this case because any additional cost will be paid by consumer. We need to develop transit, design cities and reform job market to the point where cars are just not competitive.
Bob and Alice will be riding car if nearest mall is 10 km away and you need 1,5h to get there by bus. They also will ride car if Bob can’t rely on tram schedules or Alice have to go to the office despite working in globally distributed IT business. We need systematic approach to the problem.
Put that cost pressure on then invest heavily into public transit that does not rely on tires. If you have high frequency service (at least every 20 minutes, ideally closer to 5) then relying on a tram schedule isnt really a big deal. If the tram has priority at intersections, it is much easier to stay on schedule.
I was unaware rubber products were considered micro plastics, I mean it makes sense, but for some reason I just never put that together
Tires haven’t been made of rubber for a long time.
What if I told you the gum that you chew was also made from plastic.
I mean I don’t chew gum so… Nothing much?
They’re both made of long polymer chains - chains of repeating carbon-based molecules - but rubbers are synthesized in a way that makes it easy for these chains to slip past each other and spring back. In plastics, the chains are much more tangled and bonded together.
There has been some recent investment in trying to make plant based rubber in the US again:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelharley/2022/09/08/bridgestone-develops-guayule-shrub-as-sustainable-alternative-to-rubber-trees/It really makes you see how the petrochemical industry kills two birds with one stone here
Virgin rubber on asphalt
Chad steel on steel
But think of the EVs! /s
We need flying hover cars. Imagine if we could get rid of all the cement and asphalt everywhere. Also no more traffic jams.
A sci-fi nerd can dream.
