Transport & Road
Car pollutants cause immediate and long-term effects on the environment. Car exhausts emit a wide range of gases and solid matter like nitrous gases, carbon dioxide, or hydrogen dioxide, causing global warming, acid rain, and harming environment and human health. Engine noise and fuel are also causes of pollution. Cars and trucks are the largest contributor to air pollution in the transportation sector, they emit almost 70% of all emissions related to transport.
This transportation mode is also the most used above airplanes or trains.
In Europe, 569 people out of a 1000 inhabitants have a car, this number is huge compared to other regions. We consider that in the European union, 31.5 million cars were in circulation in 2018, and this number will certainly increase in the next decades.
Road transport has several impacts on environment, and even if a lot of improvements and researches are made in this sector, still cars and trucks are very polluting.
Air pollution
In Europe, more than 250 million cars are used everyday. It represents the biggest sources of CO2 emissions in the region. But car and truck transportation doesn’t only emit CO2. Unlike the current worries on Green House Gases, transportation emissions have generally declined over the past two decades. However, the decrease of certain pollutants (SOx, NOx and PM), are not applicable on the total.
CO2 is still increasing in volume according to the number of cars which is also increasing every year. The introduction of catalytic converters, progressively stricter Euro emission standards, and increasingly strict fuel quality standards are the main factors behind past reductions.
A less positive development is the increase in the fraction of NOx emitted as NO2 by diesel vehicles, leading to exceedence of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) values in many European cities. Increasing traffic volumes, coupled with the promotion of diesel vehicles in many European States, have thus become one of the main reasons why countries do not respect EU air quality regulations.
To make matters worse, NOx emissions from diesel vehicles under real-world driving conditions often exceed the test-cycle limits specified in the Euro emission standards, a problem that also affects official fuel consumption and CO2 emission values. In general, an average diesel car emits more Nitrogen Oxides (NOX) than a petrol one, but less CO2. But NOX is much more harmful than CO2, its warming power is 300-500 more harmful than CO2. In the Netherlands only 29% of cars works with diesel, but this share is still very dangerous in term of climate change.
With the new regulations of more environmental friendly cars, we have come into a whole new field of research, that of Nanoparticles. There is still a lot of research that needs to be done, but in our opinion we wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years time we will hear that Diesel cars are more environmental friendly than the new high tech motors that add more Nanoparticles in the air.
Tires and Brake systems causing pollution
Tires are also a huge problem when we speak about car pollution. In addition to them being complicated or almost impossible to recycle, brake systems, together with tires and road surface erosion, would have released in 2016 just over 15,000 tonnes of PM10 (particulate matter 10 micrometers or less in diameter), toxic dusts of less than 10 microns in size, in Europe. These famous fine particles that the WHO accuses to cause respiratory diseases or cancers and to be, in the end, responsible for about 7 million deaths every year in the world.
These 60,000 tonnes still represent 46.5% of fine particles emitted by road transport in Europe. On the other hand, this does not mean that they will end up directly in our lungs in the same proportion. Indeed, they are mostly little larger than the particles coming out of the exhaust pipes, and therefore tend to fall faster on the ground. The rain or the wind can also turn everything upside down. Nevertheless, this proportion is growing year after year. Indeed, if cars become more and more clean, thanks to new cars and new exhausts which are systematically equipped with filters the danger will decrease. Also, no device has been yet used to reduce the emissions of fine particles linked to the abrasion of brakes, wheels and roads.
Noise and light pollution
We live in a noisy world, and the biggest part of that noise is made by humans. Traffic, machinery, electronics and much more are present in a big city.
But still the biggest noise source is cars. We can’t always quantify the noise around us because most of the time, we can close a window, move from a noisy place. but for animals it is different because as you know they don’t have windows or headphones to stop the noise disturbance. This noise is one of the reasons for example, birds disappearance.
Indeed, when you are next to a road with a lot of traffic, you can notice that birds are not next to this road. According to scientists, between 3 and 5km next to a highway, you will see a very small amount of birds compared to a silent area. Accidents are also a big source of noise. Even if humans can’t hear an accident from hundred meters away, some animals can, and if they live in a city it can be very disturbing for them, leading to a lack of communication.
Cars are also producing light in a high scale which can be dangerous for species, especially insects that are attracted by light. We all have already experienced tens of dead insects of our car during a travel at night. This happens mainly because of light pollution.
Division of ecosystems
We have all been in trouble, at least one time, to cross a road. Because of the traffic or just because of some barriers. This is a problem that animals face everyday in their life. It is even more difficult for them because they don’t know when and where they can cross a road without danger. According to studies in France, more than 40000 mammals die each year and the number is even bigger for birds. Roads are also dangerous for insects, who hasn’t seen insect bodies on his car after a travel?
But roads are also problematic for migrations. Some animals, must cross those roads because of their migration cycle and during this risky missions they are exposed to a huge danger.
Effect on environment / health
Air pollution
In 2018 there is no doubt possible, climate change and global warming are due to additional greenhouse emissions made by human activities like agriculture, industry and transportation. 13% of all human related emissions are due to transport and this number would increase in the next decades.
Roads can also be a conduit for pollutants into the environment. The debris from tires on the road can decrease the time to metamorphosis of wood frogs. Deicing salts that run-off from roads into adjacent ponds can decrease survivorship of wood frogs and spotted salamanders. Frogs have been shown to have higher skeletal abnormalities closer to roads, possibly as a result of contamination.
Of course frogs are not the only species impacted by particles from road transportation, but they are a good indicator of the impact that can be felt by animals. This pollution is very harmful and studies showed that animals next to highways are much more impacted by diseases related to particles or air pollution.
But air pollution doesn’t affect only animals, humans are also victim of particles and climate change. These famous fine particles that the WHO accuses to cause respiratory diseases or cancers and to be, in the end, responsible for about 7 million deaths every year in the world. Climate change can harm humans as well with the increasing of natural disasters, the rising of sea level or the loss of biodiversity.
The greater Delhi area has a population around 25 million people and is home to 2.9 million cars and 7 million motorbikes and motorised rickshaws. Tandoors, open ovens, are another source of pollution. About 9,000 hotels and restaurants in Delhi use coal to cook food. The city's level of respirable suspended particulate matter is twice that of Beijing. The city's air includes a toxic mix of arsenic, black carbon, formaldehyde, nickle, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. An estimated 25-50,000 of Delhi's citizens die younger every year because of air pollution.
Noise pollution
Pollution from roads is not limited to chemicals, sound pollution can also be detrimental. Car noise can impact birds by disrupting acoustic communication and interfering with warning signals, resulting in a decline in the bird population near roads. However, not all birds are equally affected because those with singing frequencies are similar to those of cars therefore are more likely to miss the roadside. In addition to reducing the number of birds, noise from the road can alter the composition of the bird community, with some species being excluded differently. Likewise, roads can interfere with the call of frogs and prevent them from finding a partner. The impact of noise can’t be accurately calculated, but we know that noise can also alter the mind of animals. Animals exposed to noise are more likely victim of mental diseases that push them to make strange choices.
Noise pollution is one of the types of pollution we don't often think about. The World Health Organization, CDC, and researchers worldwide have been warning against the effect it has on human health for decades.
Light pollution
Animals that depend on light to control their biological activities may be affected by road lights. Robins who use sunlight as a signal to start singing in the morning can confuse the lights with the sun and sing in the middle of the night. Traffic lights can also change the routes taken by bats, they can go on roads and be hit by cars. Marine turtles that use light to navigate the ocean can also be confused by road lights and go on the road instead of going to the water. When this happens, they often die from dehydration, predators can kill them or are hit by cars and never reach the ocean. Breeding females that lay on the beach to bury their eggs may also be disoriented by road lights and have difficulty returning to the water.
In addition to it, light pollution is the first cause for insectes extinction because they don’t have indications, they don’t know if it is the sun or artificial lightning. They become easy prey for predators and get killed in big quantities due to this light pollution.
Habitat division
In addition to causing direct mortality, roads can have a number of indirect impacts such as habitat fragmentation. This may be because animals can not cross the road without being killed or avoid crossing the road. For example, it has been shown that some snakes turn around and do not cross the road when they encounter it. Some animals avoid the surface of the road, even in the absence of a car. Birds that typically fly short distances from one tree to another may also be reluctant to fly over a large open space, limiting their movement on the roads.
Animals may also suffer from the inability to access particular habitats. In times of drought, roads can prevent animals from having access to water. A study of turtles has shown that roads could prevent pregnant females from reaching their preferred nesting sites. As a result, they were relegated to more dangerous habitats where predation on their eggs was higher, which reduced reproductivity.
Solutions
How can we reduce car related emissions and the impact of transportation?
The first answer would be to reduce transportation. We know that, in Europe, 99% of our products have been transported on road in their production or delivery cycle.
Road transportation produces also 9% of all additional greenhouse gases emissions and 46% of particles, that are partly responsible for climate change. So why don’t we use more sustainable ways of transportation?
Bicycles are, in some cities, the fastest way to travel for short distances. Because of traffic, smaller traveling distance, or even because of new electric bikes that equalize the speed allowed in cities. But why (except in the Netherlands) this type of transportation is less used than another? We know that 30 minutes of exercise per day are enough for us to be healthy. That doesn’t mean sweaty exercises or hard work in a gym, a travel from home to work at low speed is also exercise. So if it is faster, cheaper and good for your health, why almost nobody ride a bike in our everyday life?
The first solution would be a change in the traveling system.
A train, for instance, is between 6 and 10 time more efficient than a car. So if you have to travel a long way, use the train, it will reduce your nefast impact on environment and it would be faster as well.
And for short travel we also have a solution. Bicycles, even electric, are hundreds times less impactful than cars. In well adapted cities like Amsterdam or Copenhagen, it can even be faster than driving a car.
Even if you are a car-lover, reducing the impact of transportation is possible.
A car with a catalyst that filters emissions of greenhouse gases will lower the impact on environment, it is the same for electric cars that emits a very small amount of greenhouse gases. But the main innovation nowadays remains the hydrogen car which can be filled in thirty seconds like a gasoline one, and at the same time emits the lowest amount of gas compared to electric and gasoline cars.
This technology is already accessible, but only in California and is quite expensive. If technology allows this system to lower the price, it can become the car of tomorrow and reduce climate change in big proportions.
Are hydrogen cars the solution? The hydrogen energy is more and more something that makes people speaking about. It becomes for some of them the new solution for the future of energy and mostly transportation.
Iain Staffel, a researcher in this sector explains advantages and problems related to hydrogen cars and gives his point of view about this futuristic device.
But even if we stop greenhouse gases emissions, cars are emitting a lot of harmful particles. A company based in France has created a system capable of eliminating these highly toxic dusts by a filter placed behind the wheel. After years of experimentation in design office, this system was placed to practice in real conditions: the City of Paris has just equipped this device on 100 Renault Zoe, for a test of one year. This devices seems to be the future and can avoid severe impacts on the environment.
Roads, in term of destruction of ecosystems due to construction and infrastructures are impactful as well. In some regions to help animals to cross the road, cities have build tunnels under roads. In case of drought, for example, animals can cross the road and extend their territory without any risk. This construction was made for frogs in the south of France and seems more complicated for mammals due to their size, but tests are made in the French Alps and according to cities, it is a success.
What is the price of the transportation of the future? Andreas Mai, has an approximate answer; 5 trillion. In his opinion, this number is the price to have a sustainable transportation system for everyone. Are you ready to pay this price? If you don’t, just watch this video.
The last solution to reduce our impact on environment would be a decrease in our speed. Speed is a big source of noise pollution. A decrease of our speed from 130 km/h to 90 km/h can reduce the noise by half. Doing this would help the birds communication, information shared by insects or even frogs in their missions of finding a love partner.
Michiel Langezaal speaks about electric cars and stations, just as gasoline stations, made to give freedom to consumers. With this station you can have the same benefit as “normal” car. He also gives his opinion about the future of car industry, trends and innovations make him thinking about a future composed by electric cars everywhere.
Do you think electric car is the solution for this industry? Let’s listen to Michiel Langezaal’s arguments!
What do you do regarding making more sustainable transportation choices? By tagging us with #theconsciouschallenge you can share your ideas!
Want to contribute to our Ecological Footprint Bible? Submit us your scientific articles! Mail us at info@theconsciouschallenge.org
Sources:
https://www.science.org.au/curious/earth-environment/noise-pollution-and-environment
https://lexpansion.lexpress.fr/actualite-economique/freins-et-pneus-l-autre-pollution-aux-particules-fines_2037239.html
https://sciencing.com/effects-car-pollutants-environment-23581.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_transport
https://www.acea.be/uploads/statistic_documents/ACEA_Report_Vehicles_in_use-Europe_2018.pdf
http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC89231/jrc89231-online%20final%20version%202.pdf http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/189051/Health-effects-of-particulate-matter-final-Eng.pdf
https://www.afprofilters.com/pm1-airfilter/
http://www.npi.gov.au/resource/particulate-matter-pm10-and-pm25
https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/health-and-environmental-effects-particulate-matter-pm
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-global-co2-emissions-set-to-rise-2-percent-in-2017-following-three-year-plateau
https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport_en
https://www.euronews.com/2018/11/27/air-pollution-caused-by-diesel-cars-costs-eu-up-to-80-billion-a-year-study
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/dec/18/carmakers-criticise-unrealistic-eu-plan-slash-vehicle-emissions
https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/vehicles/cars_en
https://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/almost-all-car-makers-met-their
https://www.acea.be/statistics/tag/category/report-vehicles-in-use
https://www.acea.be/statistics/article/vehicles-in-use-europe-2017
https://www.acea.be/uploads/publications/SAG_15_European_Freight_Transport_Statistics.pdf
https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/52f721ed-c6b8-11e8-9424-01aa75ed71a1
http://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC89231/jrc89231-online%20final%20version%202.pdf
https://www.volkskrant.nl/wetenschap/positieve-effecten-elektrische-auto-op-luchtkwaliteit-overschat~b76420f4/
https://milieudefensie.nl/recht-op-gezonde-lucht/hoe-vervuild-is-de-lucht-in-mijn-straat
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408366/