Is ‘saving the world’ really a good argument?

Last summer, in the French town of Le Mans, the famous twenty-four hour race started. In the front of the field, the hybrids from Porsche, Audi and Toyota shot away into a big lead. After twenty minutes, the backmarkers, Ferrari’s and Chevrolet’s, were lapped, which means a disadvantage of 14 kilometers. Porsche went on to win, while Audi’s broke the 44 year-old lap record, from in 1971.

We have a world to save, otherwise, we would have honestly said that hybrid cars (or 100% electric) are simply better than their fossil counterparts. We would have said that sustainability isn’t a harsh necessity, but a logical improvement.

It is the necessity of saving the world that makes sustainability look like a ‘the end justifies the means’ approach, which makes the discussion very black-and-white. Either any price for sustainability is either justified, or too high.

But Porsche won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a hybrid car, not because it wants to save the world, but because it wanted to win a race. The sustainable alternative is now simply better than the fossil-based, and that trend is visible everywhere: homeowners are filling their roofs with solar panels, because it is financially profitable, and because it makes more sense to produce energy at the location where you use it. A well-insulated house is pleasant to live in, and some people buy an induction stove, because it’s easier to clean than a stove.

For the first time, ever, sustainability seems to be synonymous with logic, efficiency, economy and fun. And the point is: that might just as well save our world.

Latest

Torrential rain and colorful umbrellas

Torrential rain and colorful umbrellas

I was planning a bike ride, but then saw it was drizzling, so I carried Hasse outside — underneath an umbrella — to go get a coffee. Yet the rain was so heavy we just hid underneath the canopy in front of a supermarket to see some of the chaos unfold. I’ll miss these streets […]
May 25, 2026
Streetside in the AI Park

Streetside in the AI Park

Be skeptical of sweeping stories about China, regardless of how good or bad they portray things. The technological advancements mentioned in the news may be even more profound in reality, but not as widespread as shown. The GDP growth has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, but real wealth is mostly concentrated in coastal […]
May 16, 2026
Clothes Making Clouds

Clothes Making Clouds

There are so many ways to define Shanghai, yet a few popular icons do a lot of the talking. As the international metropolis and a symbol of China’s rising economic power, there’s the Lujiazui (陆家嘴) skyline — with the Oriental Pearl Tower (东方明珠) and high offices of Chinese and multinational corporations. There’s the Maglev train […]
May 5, 2026
Passing on the Baton

Passing on the Baton

Day 2876 in Shanghai and I’m walking with Hasse on Dongdaming Road (东大名路) in the Hongkou district. In 2018, I lived next to this road; here I registered my first Chinese bank account, bought my first baozi in a FamilyMart, and it’s here that I photographed so many random things because Shanghai was all new […]
April 13, 2026