Switching to Zero-Emission Electric Vehicles Could Save Millions of Children and Infants in the US, Estimates Reveal

According to a report from the American Lung Association, millions of children could breathe easier and hundreds of infants would be saved in the US if the power grid of the country depended more on clean energy and if drivers decided to switch to zero-emission electric vehicles.

Kids Health Affected by Air Pollution, Climate Change

Will Barrett, the author of the report and the senior director of advocacy for clean air for the association, notes that climate change and air pollution are posing risks to children. Climate change impacts keep on intensifying, and this will just add to the risks faced by US children as they grow up.

Based on US government data, traffic accounts for 28% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the country. This makes it one of the country's biggest carbon pollution sources.

The impacts of pollution are dangerous for children because they have small lungs and their bodies are still developing. Children tend to inhale more air compared to adults due to quicker breathing. As a result, their bodies and lungs get exposed to more pollution.

The report also notes that kids usually spend more time outdoors, in air that is potentially polluted, compared to adults.

Moreover, pollution can harm the health of a child prenatally. Studies have shown that the exposure of a pregnant person could lead to an early birth or a low birth rate.

Studies have also estimated that around 8.8 million individuals prematurely die each year due to air pollution.

According to the 2023 State of the Air report of the American Lung Association, several children across the US have been exposed to high air pollution levels. According to the report, over 27.2 million kids live in countries that fail air quality standards.

ALSO READ: Electric Vehicle Gas Emissions: Are EVs Much Cleaner Than Internal Combustion Engines?

Switching to Zero-Emission Electric Vehicles

With this, anything that can be done to reduce transportation-related emissions would be of help, as noted by Dr. Daniel Horton, an assistant Earth and Planetary Sciences professor at Northwestern.

The report noted that the lives of children could become healthier if car shoppers opted for zero-emission alternatives by 2035 and if people purchased only zero-emission medium as well as heavy-duty vehicles by 2040. This comes along with the switch of the electric grid of the country to renewable and clean energy by 2035.

Electric trucks and cars are better compared to their gas-fueled counterparts due to their lower carbon emissions in their lifetime. Each year, EVs generate 3,932 pounds of carbon equivalent. This is significantly smaller compared to the 11,435 pounds produced by gas-fueled vehicles.

Though cars that work on batteries do not release greenhouse gases from their tailpipes, they are not totally zero-emission despite their label. Emissions are still made during the building of the cars, the creation of the batteries, and the charging of the vehicle. The electric grid's decarbonization is crucial to air cleanup. Without a clean power source, the benefits of having an electric vehicle become more limited.

The report also estimates that in 2050, a zero-emission vehicle switch and an electric grid that is decarbonized would imply 2.79 million fewer asthma attacks among children, 2.67 million fewer pediatric cases of upper respiratory symptoms, 1.87 million fewer cases of lower respiratory symptoms among children, 147,000 fewer cases of pediatric acute bronchitis, and the saving of 508 infant lives.

Such research comes from a larger report by the association that notes that a stronger push towards zero-emission vehicles would lead to $1.2 trillion worth of health benefits in the US by 2050.

With this, focusing on vehicles on top of green power could significantly affect pollution levels. While the number of EVs has seen a sharp increase, only a small fraction (5% in 2022) of the entire vehicle range is electric.

Advocates of public health have pushed for better financial incentives to encourage EV purchases. Barrett also notes that stronger federal policies are necessary to prompt bigger clean energy changes.