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Chad dw links the studies it mentions
"2x above WHO limits" means "within EU limits". WHO recommends 5 micrograms, which is pretty unrealistic considering the population density of urban areas today. Unless we fully move off CO2 based transportation
Unless we fully move off CO2 based transportation
Which is no problem at all in urban areas.
Unless we fully move off CO2 based transportation
My understanding is that electric cars produce similar amounts of particulate pollution compared to other cars, because while they lack an internal combustion engine, they are also heavier and that increased the amount of particulates produced through tire wear and braking.
In other words, cars as a whole are the problem. Walking, cycling, streetcars and subways are the solution.
While it is true that all cars hurt the environment (Creating a 1t box out of rare and complex materials and moving it along with the person to every place simply does) the thing with particle pollution is a myth by the anti-climate-change-mitigation movement.
Just think of the fact that they use regenerative breaking most of the time. Almost no wear on the breaks. And the battery weight is largely offset by drive train and engine.
The very article you linked shows how the real-world tire wear of electric vehicles is substantially higher than the same models using IC engines. Whether it is due to higher acceleration or higher weight is not explained.
I am not opposed to electric cars. I am opposed to all cars and to the idea that electric cars are somehow a panacea, ignoring their externalities like traffic noise, air pollution and danger to other road users.
It doesn't?
It is 12.5% higher for a taxi company as stated in the article ( 25% Front wheels, 0% rear wheels, while break wear is 50% lower) and there was no difference measured for moderately driven vehicles.
Edit: This also strongly suggests it is due to acceleration as the back wheels also have to carry the weight and the front wheels get the additional wear from the acceleration)
Combine that with tail pipe/energy emissions (which only get better as more and more of our energy mix is renewable) and the picture is quite clear.
I repeat myself here: Yes I agree cars are bad! Reasons stated above. But if somebody insists on buying a new car it is better for the climate and the environment if he gets an electric one.
For the record: Nope do not have a car myself and I am well of legal age to get one.
That would be even better. But knowing how lazy/convenient people are, it will never happen
(I don't own a car myself and am doing just fine)
I think a lot of the convenience just has to do with what's availible and what's commonly done. There are cities where public transport is completely the norm (or cycling etc. are extremely common) but it has to be convenient, cheap, and availible.
In other words, the gov't has to invest first.
Guess what, WHO is way more abouth health
So I would rather go in that direction
I agree, as I said I would love to move off carbon based transport. But the 5 microgram goal is realistically not achievable with the current state of transportation and the current political goalposts of electrification
So we should change our current technological and political ways.
WHO is ineffective and useless as we have seen during pandemics.
Ofc, nearly everything is corrupt as well
In this scenario though I would just much rather have cleaner air than have the EU and the rest of the world moving the goalposts
Or we start filtering the air we breathe. I.e. use more air cleaners and wear masks more often.
That would be horrible. I don't want Europe to become like China
Become? The problem here is that we already are far beyond what is healthy. Air quality tends to be worse in China than in Europe, but a big difference is also that the Chinese tend to be less hesitant about wearing masks when it's important for the health.
The air is actually getting better (both in Europe and in China), but it will likely take decades before it's within WHO limits. Hence for the foreseeable future it makes sense to consider masks and air cleaners as an option. I'm not saying it's a good idea to wear a mask 24/7, but there's quite a few places and times in Europe where I'd put one on. There's real time data (e.g. here for Germany) and certain weather conditions exacerbate the problem, so it should be possible to avoid most issues with relatively little mask wearing.
The only issue with normal (FFP1-FFP3) masks is that they only work against particulates. For other issues (SOx, NOx, Ozone) they don't do much. Though afaik air cleaners with activated charcoal are helpful in these cases.
I already tend to wear an N95 on the Tube in London whenever I go there. The air quality down there is absolutely horrendous, let alone being packed in like sardines.
It's wild to me, old enough to remember the thick clouds of yellow smog that used to blanket Los Angeles and acid rain dissolving historical buildings and statues, to see how far we've advanced in reigning in air pollution. I can kind of understand the struggle that older generations have in updating their ideas about what is and is not acceptable. All the more reason to have age restrictions on politicians to try to make advancement possible at the speeds required to save the species from climate change.
I haven't thought about how having young politicians increase the overall speed of progress, not only due to the difference in ideas from one generation to the next but also from a purely logistics viewpoint.
Sulfur isnt the only kind of air pollutant.
With the EU voting on new air quality rules, satellite data shows that 98% of people face pollution above limits recommended by the World Health Organization.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Virtually everyone in Europe lives in polluted towns and cities where annual average levels of fine particulate matter are higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended limit.
The European Parliament's Environment Committee had suggested adopting the WHO recommendations, which are stricter at five micrograms of fine particulate matter per cubic meter of air.
Geography is partially to blame: the region is surrounded by mountains and pollution created by heavy traffic, industry, agricultural emissions and residential heating is trapped in the area.
A study published in the science journal The Lancet used pollution data from 2015 to estimate that around 10% of deaths in cities like Milan could be prevented if average PM 2.5 concentrations dropped by around 10 micrograms per cubic meter.
"On top of having a negative geographical situation, we've been doing exactly the opposite of what we should do," said Anna Gerometta, a lawyer and president of Cittadini per l'Aria, an NGO that advocates for stricter air quality policies in Italy.
In Italy, environmental campaigners have noticed a similar problem in bridging a gap between science and daily life: "People don't understand the issue with air pollution.
The original article contains 1,206 words, the summary contains 176 words. Saved 85%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Nah, it's just a weird weather condition trapping hot air until it rains mid next week.
I love living in a tiny village
Until your neighbours start burning wood
Having lived in Bergen (Norway) I can say with some degree of confidence that these readings are taken in summer. Otherwise Norway would have 5% marked in black.
Black, as in worse than red? Why?
It's surrounded by mountains, public transport sucks, high road density, studded tires, no wind, cold temperatures. the pollution just doesn't go anywhere until spring.
this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2023
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