Found it on Mastodon, I don’t know if it’s the original source. The XKCD does have a good point, of course. But I mean, if we’d all think like that, no good standards would ever develop, so people shouln’t cite it as a fundamental truth everywhere and avoid all meaningful discussion.
I think we live in very different parts of the world. Where I’m from, it is quite self-evident that we have to transition to EVs, and most people in fact already do. However a lot of people seem to forget that EVs only solve part of the problem and that we have to think further, so from my perspective this comic can basically only be used for good.
But I do get that this could be used by reactionaries to push back against clean energy in places where such sentiments are common. However, I don’t think that’s a particularly big problem on the Fediverse.
There was plenty for everyone since there were a lot fewer people, plus there were no real territories that people claimed over longer periods at all since we were nomads.
I hate to say it, but how can it be precious if it is not special? You could have Christmas decorations and music all year round, but then nobody would smile because there would be no special time anymore with which it’d be associated.
Edit: Additionally, if it is not in anticipation of something special, the flashiness just becomes plain annoying.
For pedestrians and bikers, you need a lot less surface to deice, plus the lower speeds means it is not quite as vital to see all the snow gone directly. And yes, you will need roads for different purposes, but you would need a lot fewer of them, and with fewer lanes, if everyone wouldn’t take the car. Also, for supplying stores, a lot of the things trucks do can easily be done by trains.