Green mission creep: The unintended consequences of circular economy strategies for electric vehicles

Abstract

The rapid expansion of renewable energy technologies entails massive resource challenges which are well illustrated by electric vehicles. Circular economy strategies are gaining traction as a potential solution to these challenges. However, while scholarship has emphasized the necessity of reducing resource use in absolute terms, policymakers are reluctant to include this in circular economy strategies, preferring to rely on ‘green growth’. We describe this phenomenon as the social construction of ignorance leading to green mission creep and bring knowledge about extractivism and sustainable mobility to bear on circular economy strategies for electric vehicles. Through conducting the first critical analysis of Norway's national strategy for a circular economy and the ambitions for an electric vehicle sector therein, together with the report that provided its knowledge base and 24 letters of input from civil society groups, we find a trajectory of aggressive growth in carbon intensive industries associated with creating sacrifice zones. Therefore, we conclude that the effectiveness of measures to increase efficiency on the supply side of production processes ultimately depends upon rejecting the premise of green growth and developing political and grassroots strategies for reducing consumption.