This needull presents both sides of the argument. Some look at Tesla as game changer while others are not that impressed.
Because that scenario seems like a real possibility, a car that doesn’t need fossil fuel to run does feel like a game-changer, contrary to Cowen’s argument. Even when accounting for the environmental impacts of manufacturing a Tesla and running it on electricity from a coal-fired grid, its zero-emissions feature still counts as progress, given it will help reduce both future climate impacts and localized pollution from urban traffic, which disproportionately affect communities of color.
Needull in a haystack 
Some very interesting points in that article. I’d go a step further and say that racial and gender disparities harm many ‘green’ fields in the US, not just renewable energy. My own intended field, wildlife conservation, is one of them.
This does not mean one shouldn’t support initiatives that benefit the environment. But the problems we’re trying to tackle are immense (climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, etc.), and we need to make sure that people from all demographics feel welcome in environmentally-focused fields. This will include equal pay for equal work and striving for unbiased hiring practices, among other things.