How switching to EVs would improve health in the US

Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A new report by the American Lung Association says that a shift to electric vehicles and a clean power grid could save tens of thousands of lives over the next few decades.

The report shows that the pollution from power plants and tailpipes would go down. It would save over 13 million workdays and over 2 million asthma attacks. The amount of public health benefits is over a trillion dollars.

All new passenger cars and heavy-duty vehicles sold in the US will be electric by the year 2040. Those vehicles would need to be powered by a fossil fuel-free grid. Replacing the vast majority of the nation's cars and trucks with electric vehicles in a short period of time is virtually impossible. Despite their popularity, just under 3% of new vehicles purchased in the US in 2021 are electric.

The health advocates say a safe environment should be non-negotiable. That shouldn't be up for debate.

According to the American Lung Association, more than four in 10 Americans live in a place with high levels of air pollution. Cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and lung diseases have been linked to breathing in pollution. It can lead to impaired lung development in children, which can affect them throughout their lives. According to the American Lung Association, Americans of color are three times more likely to be breathing the worst air pollution than whites.

The American Lung Association looked at how phasing out fossil fuel combustion from the transportation and power sectors would limit pollutants. Smog-forming nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and sulfur dioxide come from tailpipes and smokestacks.

Non-exhaust emissions, also known as pollution that flies under the radar and which electric vehicles are still responsible for, was studied by the report authors. Particles that enter the air from the wear and tear of roads and vehicles are included. The persistence of this type of pollution shows why better public transportation and more walking cities are important for a healthier future.

The health benefits of cutting down greenhouse gas emissions are pointed out in the report. A warming climate makes air quality worse by speeding up the chemical reaction that causes smog. Light electric vehicles can cut down on greenhouse gas pollution when they replace cars, according to a recent industry-commissioned report.

In the US, President Joe Biden has set a goal of getting half of all new cars sold in the US to be electric or hybrid by the year 2030. The EPA proposed a new regulation to cut pollution from trucks. The clean power sector is one of the goals of the Biden administration. According to the American Lung Association report, fossil fuels from the power grid are essential for cleaning up transportation. Pollution continues to take its toll on people's health and many of these efforts remain aspiration for the future.