Researchers from Harvard University, who have studied the environment and public health and studied the impact of reductions in vehicle-related emissions for a decade, have come to some impressive results. Researchers stated that thousands of lives and billions of dollars have been saved by the recent reduction of emissions from vehicles in the United States; He concluded that the death toll fell from 27,700 in 2008 to 19,800 in 2017.
In addition, the researchers noted that the reduction in emissions contributed to the economy by as much as $270 billion. According to the research, light commercial vehicles such as cars, pickup trucks and SUVs account for most of the health burden, which is reduced by stricter regulations on fossil fuel companies and vehicle manufacturers.
Harder anti-emission policies must be implemented for the continuation of this decline.
According to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, if vehicles had continued to emit air pollution at levels seen in 2008 during this period, the death toll in 2017 would have been 2.4 times higher than today. But these benefits are limited by a growing and aging population, and as drivers buy bigger cars and drive more, the researchers’ data show. “Despite significant progress in reducing emissions, there is this counter-effect of population and larger vehicles,” said Ernani Choma, a Harvard environmental health researcher and lead author of the study. he adds to his words.
While there has been previous research on the health benefits and economic effects of reducing emissions, this study paints a more precise picture of how emissions affect public health, according to experts who were not affiliated with the research team. “Good environmental policy has drastically reduced transportation emissions over the past decade,” says Sumil Thakrar, an air quality researcher at the University of Minnesota. “But it’s hard to understand the benefits of these emissions controls well because it requires keeping track of so many other moving parts. And I think the authors are doing a remarkable job.”
The study also examined the climate benefits from preventing air pollution from vehicles and found that these benefits account for only 3% to 19% of overall economic gains. Susan Anenberg, associate professor of environment and occupational health and global health at George Washington University, points out that this is because most approaches to reducing transportation emissions in the United States are aimed at curbing air pollution rather than climate change. Regarding this, Anenberg notes, “Catalytic converters, diesel particulate filters; they take pollutants from the environment, but they have no effect on carbon dioxide.”
This is exactly why Choma and his colleagues said that tougher policies should be implemented to reduce emissions. Another reason is the fact that if the increasing trend in population and vehicle size and usage continues, the policies that create the health benefits highlighted in the study will not be as effective in the future. On this, Choma emphasizes the importance of stricter emissions policies, saying, “If we look to 2030 and nothing changes, you will see only a modest reduction in deaths from vehicle emissions.”
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