20240308_ASeriesOfUnintendedConsequences_pen
No matter what we do in life, our actions, intentional or not, lead to unintended consequences. And if the human lives we lead are results of our ancestors', our own actions, and the nature of life itself (both living and non-living things around us), then life itself is a continuous cycle of unintended consequences feeding into each other, creating even more life, hence adding to the chaos.
For example; the EV revolution. Electronic vehicles require compatible batteries. The components required for manufacturing those batteries (lithium ion batteries) are
- mined from underground reserves, an act by itself that disturbs the local ecosystems,
- and processed using factory processes, which further add to its carbon footprint.
Then there's the manner of disposal of these batteries labelled as e-waste, another cause for environmental concern.
References:
- https://earth.org/environmental-impact-of-battery-production/
- https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2023/Dec/16/the-problem-with-evs-2641532.html
As a sustainable initiative/response to environmental concerns, the govt. of India has introduced the Extended Producer's Responsibility (EPR) Act 2022 for the authorization of companies to indulge in the manufacture and trade of items warranting the safe disposal of their residual waste and/or byproducts.
However, we have no idea whether the govt. can fully monitor the disposal activities of the hundreds of thousands of companies involved in this merchandise market.
Keep in mind that while it's easy to argue that EVs are still less hazardous to our ecology, there are many variables affecting their sustainability. Methods of battery disposal and electricity generation, maintenance protocols, power consumption levels, etc. are factors we may not fully study if we simply believe or assume their overall carbon footprints to be lower than those of gasoline vehicles.
The point isn't to prove that EVs aren't a better option. It's just there's so much left to uncover about this technology, relatively new for mass consumption. And now, the whole world is adapting to it in myriads of ways. There's only so much that we can predict.
Perhaps the far-reaching impacts of EVs haven't been fully mapped to the primary solution that they provide.
This is just one example of a probable solution to a factor inducing climate change that has the unintended side effect of, more or less, continuing to contribute to its degradation in a different form.
Every new product we make, every service we undertake, every line of code, every mode of delivery of 'something new' that is meant to start a revolution or disrupt a market, every solution, every word written to make a difference, carries with it a delusion; that "This is how things are gonna turn out."
And when everything goes another way, we're left wondering why.
Doesn't this highlight that the scope of our problems needs to be evaluated further so that we realize the compounding effects of each development we undertake?