Highlights:
- Environmental sustainability goes beyond climate change and carbon emissions.
- Road transportation’s efforts to reduce air pollutants have been significant, but we must take extra action.
- As air pollution severely affects our health, we should minimize our exposure to hazardous pollutants in everyday mobility.
Introduction
Have you ever wondered why every other car advertisement mentions sustainability or emissions?
Why are we all into Electric Vehicles?
Why are we hearing more and more about green everything?
If you have doubts about this topic, you are just in the right place. This piece focuses on the environmental impacts of road transportation (cars, vans, etc.), specifically air pollution, and the efforts to reduce them. Let’s start with the infamous CO₂.
Despite progress in recent decades, road transportation still significantly contributes to greenhouse gases (GHGs). Water vapor, Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and ozone (O₃) are called Greenhouse gases because they contribute to the Greenhouse Effect.
In simple terms, the Greenhouse Effect is the phenomenon behind the gradual increase in the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere. Like a typical greenhouse that keeps plants warm, when the gases mentioned earlier are released into the atmosphere, they prevent the planet from losing heat to space, deviating from its ideal temperature.
Since global warming's consequences affect us all, GHGs are subject to international agreements and taxation. For example, automakers must meet CO₂ emission limits across the vehicles they manufacture.
Some climate change impacts are floods, severe drought, wildfires, and more. Surprisingly, despite its severe consequences, climate change skepticism has been the subject of debate in recent decades. The discussion has questioned its existence, whether global warming is caused by human activity, what the leading causes are, etc.
The scientific community agrees on its existence, but it has also debated its leading causes with publications like the one in Fig. 2, “Data Opposing CO₂ Emissions as the Primary Source of Global Warming” from the book published in 2016 titled “Evidence-Based Climate Science.”
Since 2016, there has been overwhelming evidence pointing CO₂ and its interaction with water vapor to be a key driver of climate change.
Ok, now lets talk about how transportation impacts the quality of the air we breathe.
Air pollution refers to the introduction of harmful substances into the ambient. Its a different problem than GHGs emissions.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the exposure to these pollutants is responsible of premature deaths caused by respiratory infections, heart disease, lung cancer and others. These effects can take place due to short or long term exposure. Unlike CO₂, air pollution effects can be immediate to those exposed.
Since some air pollutants stay close to their source, they are often regulated locally (by cities, states or countries). For example the European Environment Agency (EEA) publishes guidelines with harmful pollutants and concentrations that should not be exceeded.
So now we know that reducing the CO₂ emissions from road transportation is key to tackle Climate Change. Also we can tell the main differences between GHGs and air pollutants.
Now is time to get to know air pollutants better.
Air pollutants
In April 2022 the WHO stated that 99% of the world’s population is exposed to air pollution levels that exceed healthy thresholds. This means the air we are breathing has too many harmful elements.
Several health organizations and universities have carried out research on the effects of common air pollutants to human health. Using that evidence, the WHO publishes guidelines with recommendations aiming at protecting public health. The guidelines indicate different levels and exposition times that are linked to specific health issues. The pollutants included are Particulate Matter ( PM ${2.5}$ and PM ${10}$), Ozone (O₃), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂), Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂) and Carbon Monoxide (CO).
A significant amount of scientific papers have evidenced the following effects:
- PM: Can penetrate the lungs, causing respiratory and cardiac issues.
- Carbon Monoxide (CO): Reduces oxygen delivery in the bloodstream, likely causal for cardiovascular effects.
- Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂): Can cause irritations in the respiratory system; exposures over short periods could cause asthma exacerbations.
- Ozone (O₃): Can cause irritations in the respiratory system and asthma exacerbations.
- Sulfur Dioxide (SO₂): Contributor to acid rain and can cause respiratory issues.
- Lead (Pb): Lead can affect the nervous system, kidney function, immune system, and more.
In 2020, a nine-year-old became the first person whose death certificate stated ‘air pollution.’ Research demonstrated that the fact that she was living near a busy London road worsened her asthma attacks, which eventually led to her passing.
Road transportation and air pollution
Road transportation is not the highest contributor to air pollutants. However, the population's exposure to the pollutants coming from traffic can be higher than that of factories or other sources. This is because we are right next to the source of pollution (near busy roads, street canyons, etc.), unlike factories that are usually outside population centers. Also, motor vehicles are significant producers of the most harmful pollutants: (NO₂) and PM.
Exposure refers to the state of having no protection from something harmful. Calculating exposure is a very complex task because it requires a combination of factors related to landscape, weather, topography, etc.
The outstanding amount of evidence linking transportation pollution to poor health has led to several efforts aimed at improving air quality. Most of these efforts come from high-level sectors like the Automotive industry, City Planners, fuel quality legislators, etc. They have manufactured vehicles that pollute less, harmful elements have been removed from fuel mixtures, and many cities are enforcing Vehicle Access Restrictions (UVARs) to improve air quality.
Inevitably comes the question: how can we also contribute? What individual actions could make a difference?
Our mobility and pollution
So, when we move using an Internal Combusting Engine (ICE) vehicle (gasoline, diesel, etc.), the process would be:
We use a specific fuel to move our wheels. We mix this fuel with air, compress it with a piston, and ignite it to generate power which propels the wheels.
From the energy obtained in this process, only 12-30% actually goes to power the wheels, and the rest is lost due to various factors.
In a perfect scenario with complete combustion, burning fossil fuels would produce carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water vapor (H₂O). Unfortunately, this is rarely achieved, and incomplete combustion takes place frequently. This occurs when not all the fuel burns entirely, leading to the production of Carbon monoxide (CO), Unburned hydrocarbons, Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), and Particulate matter (PM).
Fuel economy and emissions are closely connected because they both depend on how efficiently the car uses the fuel. They are both tested in new vehicles before their inclusion in the market.
Fig. 5 shows the primary sources of pollution in ICE vehicles.
These emissions could be reduced with the following actions:
- Exhaust emissions: reducing exhaust emissions can be achieved by opting for cleaner vehicles and also a change in driving behaviour. The first one does not necessarily mean switching to EVmissions), but also getting vehicles with cleaner fuels (like biofuels or natural gas), vehicles with innovative, and (which produces zero tailpipe e exhaust systems regular maintenance (to avoid incomplete combustion and increase engine efficiency). Driving behavior includes avoidance of idling, smooth driving, and reducing vehicle weight when possible.
- Evaporative emissions: As with exhaust emissions, these can be minimized with cleaner vehicles, regular maintenance, not overfilling the tank, and parking in shaded areas or garages, when possible, to minimize heat exposure. These will also contribute to reducing refuelling emissions.
- Abrasion of tyres: These emissions can be reduced using long-lasting tyres, and regular maintenance (keeping correct tire pressure, checking wear, and augmenting tyre rotation). Another significant contributor is the reduction of aggressive driving. Smooth driving reduces the release of tire particles.
So basically, we should aim to minimize our emissions and avoid pollutant exposure. This is:
- Buy in awareness,
- give proper maintenance to our vehicles,
- drive consciously,
- when walking or cycling, we should reduce our time near busy junctions or roads.
This might sound obvious, but it would mean adding more considerations to our already complex everyday mobility. This is why Astara Play’s efforts try to ease the inclusion of these factors and keep you informed about pollution, the state of your vehicle, and your driving behaviour.
Astara Play efforts
We know that managing our mobility is no simple task. Commuting, errands, care of loved ones, entertainment, grocery shopping, weekend trips. Just avoiding traffic jams while choosing an efficient route and finding parking… is a lot to consider; imagine adding another factor to the equation.
This is where Astara Play comes to… well… Play!
Astara play helps you manage vehicles available to you and plan better how to move with them.
We are working on helping you move considering economic, meteorological and environmental factors. We make it possible by analyzing different kinds of data from the territories you move and propose actions based on that.
Why do we consider all mobility modes? Because we know every trip has many stages, and walking is an essential and exposed part of it. Also, we know that, fortunately, we have many ways to move around, and we help you take advantage of all of them.
The following are some examples of what we are currently working on:
Our pollution section will include a pollution forecast, the highest pollution day, and a summary of air quality for that week, along with practical recommendations. These are intended to help you minimize exposure and help you pollute less. Examples are:
Which day should you work from home? Perhaps the most polluted one.
Are you using public transportation today as a part of your trip? Please don't forget to avoid junctions or carry a face mask.
High probability of rain this week? Save natural resources by washing the car another time.
Will it be hot and sunny? Let's park in a covered area or avoid overfilling the tank to prevent evaporative emissions.
Day with good air quality? Consider using shared mobility modes to reduce emissions.
Congested road segment in a day with high pollution? Close windows and use the AC recirculate mode at specific moments.
Decided to go by bike? You can check out less polluted routes.
These are all intended to help you plan your trip before it takes place.
And this is not the only thing. We also analyze your past trips to profile your driving behaviour and help you reduce emissions while saving money. We are conducting comprehensive research focused on the relationship between your driving style and emissions.
So far we are:
- Estimating the eco-friendliness of your mobility.
- Analysing and profiling your driving (risky, safer, expert).
- Find patterns that could help us reduce your exposure.
These three products will be discussed in Part II of this blog post.
To sum up
Air pollutants are a negative consequence of road transportation. Unlike GHGs, their effects could take place in the short term.
Fortunately, many efforts to improve air quality are taking place and helping the situation. However, we must be conscious of it and consider air quality in everyday mobility. Knowing the difficulties this could add, Astara Play is working to bring features that make it easier for you.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_effect
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780128045886/evidence-based-climate-science
- https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240034228
- Photo by <a target="_blank" href="https://freerangestock.com/photographer/Ian_Livesey/9081">Ian_Livesey</a> from <a target="_blank" href="https://freerangestock.com">Freerange Stock</a>
- Zhang, J., & Lioy, P. J. (2002). Human exposure assessment in air pollution systems. The Scientific World Journal, 2(1), 497-513.
- https://kardinal.ai/sustainable-last-mile-delivery-is-out-of-home-the-answer/#:~:text=The last-mile delivery%2C which,emissions in the logistics sector.
- Chen, Z. Y., Petetin, H., Méndez Turrubiates, R. F., Achebak, H., Pérez García-Pando, C., & Ballester, J. (2024). Population exposure to multiple air pollutants and its compound episodes in Europe. Nature Communications, 15(1), 2094.
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/explaining-road-transport-emissions
