I don't know how to express the freedom and joy that comes from having your kid say "I'm biking to my friend's house!" instead of "Can you drive me to my friend's house?".
Not to mention that I made a lot of my current friends by just meeting them while walking around town.
And cities designed for cars aren't even easier to get around, because cars may be ten times faster than walking, but once you add all the parking, roads, shoulders, etc. to make it easier to drive, everything is ten times farther apart.
I really wish it were easier to convey that a low-car life is a much higher quality of life.
Most of the lithium ion waste comes from consumer electronics still, not EV. Things like laptops and phones being tossed, instead of taken to appropriate recycling facilities. I think this will change in time as it becomes more normalized to do so, maybe even a dedicated “electronics collection pickup” recycling program.
It’s the norm for most young/lower income people in a lot of Europe’s urban areas, although cars are still ubiquitous. Most people with the means will opt for a car because of that convenience though. Point being it’s absolutely possible for cars to become a luxury.
Transit is plagued with having to serve everyone so it serves no one issue.
Really, we (people) are doing all we can to avoid doing anything real about Climate Change. Many do something, but not to the point were it lessens how you live.
We really need to push Mass Transit, Walking, Bicycling and other forms of transport. The only real draw back is the loss of some convenience. But 140 years ago, people lived OK without Autos.