5. Electric Scooters
Electric scooters promise a clean urban commute, but their true environmental impact is troubling. Most e-scooters have shockingly short lifespans—often just a few months—before they end up in landfills. Their batteries are difficult to recycle, and manufacturing creates significant emissions. Worse, the collection and nightly charging of scooters often relies on fossil-fuel vehicles, undercutting any eco gains. As Wired notes, their overall footprint can sometimes outweigh the intended benefits.