When plastics were in their infancy of being introduced to the public in various products and various applications, their proponents touted how wonderful and necessary and problem-free they were, in addition to touting how they could and would replace numerous other materials. It took a few decades for that narrow minded perspective to come into sharper focus as the negative aspects of the product-of-the-future began to emerge. Nowadays, very few humans can go 24 hours without plastic/plastics playing a part in their lives and in their everyday activities, yet it is a harsh reality that the steps being taken to address the problems fall far short of the continuous manufacturing and use of the dangerous substance.
About a decade ago, progressive measures were ramping up one blight caused by plastics: an aim to get rid of shopping bags made of its iterations. Locally here in California, legislation was moving toward a permanent ban on them. Then along came COVID19, and with its topsy-turvy reorganization of almost everything in life, and suddenly, plastic grocery bags bans went from being essential to being back-burner items. The same levels of trash consisting of plastic bags returned to the numbers seen years before.
Foresight, especially in the extreme long range, should be applied to the electric car boon in ways that help prevent unintended consequences that mirror the plastic debacle.
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