Climate Activists Call for Cleaner EV Supply Chains During LA Auto Show

Climate Activists Call for Cleaner EV Supply Chains During LA Auto Show

Time Stamp: November 23, 2023 12:00 AM
Source Node: 2978450

Protestors from two climate advocacy groups held demonstrations during the LA Auto Show in an attempt to shine a light on the environmental practices within the electric vehicle sector.

Demonstrators from Mighty Earth and Youth Climate Strike LA dressed in red “Squid Game” suits and staged a “die-in” at the LA Auto Show November 18 where protestors were splayed across the showroom floor like victims in a deadly game of red light-green light, according to WIRED.

The demonstrations targeted South Korean automaker Hyundai. The protests criticized the organization’s reliance on coal-powered steel plants, which were linked to 506 pollution-related premature deaths in 2021. In 2022, an investigation into the company found undocumented children working in the organization’s Alabama supply chain.

“Everyone just thinks, well, they're not using gasoline anymore. Problem solved,” said Matthew Groch, a senior director at Mighty Earth. “Going electric is really just the start.”

Just a day before the demonstrations, protestors from the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen displayed two banners outside the entrance of the auto show calling out Toyota for its supply chain practices. The signs read “Stop stalling. EVs are the future” and “Drop coal and cut ties to forced labor.” Those protests also called out Toyota for alleged ties to Uyghur forced labor.

“We're singling out Toyota to push them to use their purchasing power as a force for good,” said Erika Thi Patterson, Public Citizen’s auto supply chain campaign director. “They're the largest automaker, and they've long tried to craft this false image of being an industry leader on sustainability.”

Based on a February 2023 report from EV makers Rivian and Polestar, the EV supply chain generates 35% to 50% more greenhouse gas emissions than gas-powered vehicle supply chains. The report estimated that EV producers reduce their supply chain emissions by 81% by 2032 in order to help achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of preventing the global temperature from rising by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

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