EV shift could prevent thousands of premature deaths in kids, report claims
Global News
Transitioning to zero-emission vehicles by 2050 could prevent thousands of premature deaths, along with millions of asthma attacks and respiratory illnesses in children.
Switching to electric vehicles by 2050 could prevent thousands of premature deaths, along with millions of asthma attacks and respiratory illnesses in children in the United States, reveals a new report.
The American Lung Association (ALA) released the report Wednesday advocating for a widespread transition to zero-emission vehicles and electricity, emphasizing the substantial health improvements for children. By 2050, this transition could prevent 2.79 million pediatric asthma attacks, alleviate numerous respiratory symptoms and save hundreds of infant lives in the U.S., the report said.
“Air pollution harms children’s health and wellbeing today, and the transportation sector is a leading source of air pollution. Vehicle emissions are also the nation’s biggest source of carbon pollution that drives climate change and associated public health harms,” Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, said in a media release on Wednesday.
Traffic is one of the biggest sources of carbon pollution in U.S., making up 28 per cent of the greenhouse emissions in the country, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The report comes just months after Canada outlined a roadmap to have all cars on the market produce zero emissions by 2035.
In Canada, the government says traffic-related air pollution contributes every year to 1,200 premature deaths, 210,000 asthma symptom days and 2.7 million acute respiratory symptom days. It’s also associated with the development of allergies, childhood leukemia and worsening pediatric asthma.
The ALA report, called Boosting Health for Children: Benefits of Zero-Emission Transportation and Electricity, outlines the projected health impacts if all new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. become zero-emission by 2035, and all new trucks follow suit by 2040. It also projects that the U.S. electric grid will be powered by clean, non-combustion renewable energy by 2035.
According to the report, the transition would not only prevent millions of pediatric asthma attacks by 2050 but also:
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