Research shows that the introduction of zero-emission vehicles, such as electric vehicles, actually leads to a reduction in air pollution
Zero-emission vehicles, which do not emit greenhouse gases, are believed to reduce air pollution compared to older vehicles that burn fossil fuels. A new study has been published that tests this hypothesis using real-world data.
Zero-emissions vehicle adoption and satellite-measured NO2 air pollution in California, USA, from 2019 to 2023: a longitudinal observational study - The Lancet Planetary Health
Adoption of electric vehicles tied to real-world reductions in air pollution, study finds
https://keck.usc.edu/news/adoption-of-electric-vehicles-tied-to-real-world-reductions-in-air-pollution-study-finds/
Efforts are being made in Europe and the US to reduce or eliminate older generation vehicles such as gasoline-powered vehicles, and California has enacted a law banning the sale of non-zero emission vehicles by 2035. However, this law has been invalidated due to the heavy burden it places on the automobile industry, and it can be said that environmental protection and the protection of the automobile industry are at odds with each other.
In California, where the above law was enacted and which at one point moved to reduce gas emissions, a study was conducted to examine the correlation between the increase in zero-emission vehicles and the increase or decrease in air pollution.
Sandra Eckel of the University of Southern California and her colleagues divided California into 1,692 regions and obtained data on registered zero-emission vehicles from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles. Combining this data with data from high-resolution satellite sensors that measure pollutants daily, they calculated the annual average nitrogen dioxide concentration for each region in California from 2019 to 2023.
During the study period, the number of zero-emission vehicles increased by an average of 272 per region, and it was confirmed that for every 200 new zero-emission vehicles, nitrogen dioxide concentrations decreased by 1.1%.
To confirm the reliability of their results, the research team conducted an additional analysis, taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020 as a factor in the decline in nitrogen dioxide, but the results remained unchanged. They also confirmed that, as expected, pollutants also increased in areas where the number of gasoline-powered vehicles increased.
'We validated our analysis using a variety of methods and our results were consistent,' said co-author Erica Garcia. 'Air pollution also has immediate health impacts, so action is crucial. We know that traffic-related air pollution impairs respiratory and cardiovascular health in the short and long term.'
During the study period, the number of zero-emission light-duty vehicles (passenger cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, etc.) registered across California increased from 2% to 5%. 'While electrification is not fully implemented, our findings show that California's transition to electric vehicles is already making a measurable difference to the quality of the air we breathe,' said Eckel. 'These results demonstrate that cleaner air is not just theory, but is already becoming a reality in communities across California.'
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in Science, Posted by log1p_kr