Wheel in mouth disease

I keep shouting, including in the “signature” of my emails: “Live simply, so you may simply live.” It is business as usual that is killing all complex life on this planet. Replacing one technology with another won’t save us, but merely shuffle around the problems.

Sure, replacing stinking tailpipes with electric motors gives us extra time to do something about our global problems, but if instead we use that extra time for nothing, then the benefit is nothing.

And let me share a deep, dark secret with you: electric vehicles have wheels, and (some of) what’s on your wheels will end up in your mouth. And it ain’t good for you.

This 2022 study starts with the headline, “Pollution from tire wear now 1,850 times worse than exhaust emissions.” Yes, this has to do with microplastics, which are everywhere, in everything and in everybody.

A study just published reports that things are even worse, although with the usual scientific understatement. The rubber circles that rub on the road include various chemicals that leach out from the microplastics, and end up in your food.

The solution?

Personally, if you can organise your family to exclude four-wheeled people, do so. If not, use the car as little as possible, or even less. Then, far less of the problem is your fault.

Grow as much of your own food as possible. You can’t filter out microplastics from the rain, and it’s fairly impractical from tap water, but you will reduce the load.

On a larger scale, be on my team to transform society to get off its addiction to greed. Money is not the root of all evil; doing everything possible to gain it is.

To go full circle, live simply so you may simply live. You will find that once you’ve done your best to liberate yourself from the monster Economy, you’ll feel as if you lived like royalty.