With the onset of electric cars and an ongoing battle with global warming, many people are becoming concerned that the CO2 emissions produced by combustion engine vehicles are becoming the leading cause of pollution in the modern-day world. As more of an opinionated post, I like to opt towards the idea that it is your civic duty to own an electric car. They are better for the environment, and you are not only protecting the earth for you, but protecting the earth for your kids, grandkids, and every person that walks this earth after you.
In much of the same way it is your civic duty to vote, it is someone’s civic duty to make sure their environment is clean. I think big corporations should lean towards more renewable energy sources and give back to the earth that has been so gracious to them. Life is short, but we can all make an impact far greater than we realize. Owning an EV in the future and buying one now not only increases awareness but also funding. The main thing holding back EVs is the price and lack of practicality, but if everyone takes the initiative to make EV’s more practical and common and make it a “civic” duty, we can turn this ship around.
“The concept of civic duty is based on the principle that citizens owe some allegiance to their government and that government, in turn, protects its citizens.” The government gives its citizens a tax write-off for buying electric vehicles, and since the government gives us “a reward/protection” for buying these vehicles and protecting our lands. This is a two-sided debate in the sense that, “Is it a civic action?” and while at the same time being a debate of whether or not it is considered a civic duty or not.
As a final say of this debate, I would like to add my own input on this matter. It is a civic duty to protect our environment. In the same way, it is a civic duty to vote, and in return, the government provides a governing service. If we give back to society by providing clean air and less pollution, the government could continue to operate as they do now, but with a cleaner environment. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below and see what you think his matter. Comment down below.
I agree that keeping our environment clean is an integral part of civic duty, but it is definitely less valued by the average American citizen. Most people feel that their environmental footprint is exponentially smaller than large corporations and that the tradeoff between convenience and environmental safety is not worth it. Their needs to be a strong push by the government for more environmentally practices so that the average citizen feels their contribution actually matters. While Electric cars have no emissions themselves, I do know that the current process of battery production is highly dangerous so maybe it is fine that the transition from gas to electric cars is currently happening gradually as the technology advances.
I think while this is a good sentiment, it may not necessarily be practical. The first thing to consider is cost. If only the upper class can afford to buy electric cars, will it be enough of an impact to be worth it? In this same vein, if the government is giving tax breaks to those who are buying electric cars (those who can afford them, i.e. the wealthy), will the lower and middle classes have to pick up the slack in regard to taxes, thus making their economic situation harder? There are many facets to the issue of the civic duty of owning an electric car.