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Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumSwitching to vehicles powered by electricity from renewables (not coal) could save lives
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-12/uom-stv121514.php[font face=Serif]PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 15-Dec-2014
Contact: Press Office
unews@umn.edu
612-626-7959
University of Minnesota
@UMNews
[font size=5]Switching to vehicles powered by electricity from renewables could save lives[/font]
[font size=4]Use of corn ethanol or electricity from coal worse than gasoline for public health[/font]
[font size=3]Driving vehicles that use electricity from renewable energy instead of gasoline could reduce the resulting deaths due to air pollution by 70 percent. This finding comes from a new life cycle analysis of conventional and alternative vehicles and their air pollution-related public health impacts, published Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The study also shows that switching to vehicles powered by electricity made using natural gas yields large health benefits. Conversely, vehicles running on corn ethanol or vehicles powered by coal-based or "grid average" electricity are worse for health; switching from gasoline to those fuels would increase the number of resulting deaths due to air pollution by 80 percent or more.
"These findings demonstrate the importance of clean electricity, such as from natural gas or renewables, in substantially reducing the negative health impacts of transportation," said Chris Tessum, co-author on the study and a researcher in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering.
The University of Minnesota team estimated how concentrations of two important pollutants--particulate matter and ground-level ozone--change as a result of using various options for powering vehicles. Air pollution is the largest environmental health hazard in the U.S., in total killing more than 100,000 people per year. Air pollution increases rates of heart attack, stroke, and respiratory disease.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1406853111 (Doesnt work yet.)
Contact: Press Office
unews@umn.edu
612-626-7959
University of Minnesota
@UMNews
[font size=5]Switching to vehicles powered by electricity from renewables could save lives[/font]
[font size=4]Use of corn ethanol or electricity from coal worse than gasoline for public health[/font]
[font size=3]Driving vehicles that use electricity from renewable energy instead of gasoline could reduce the resulting deaths due to air pollution by 70 percent. This finding comes from a new life cycle analysis of conventional and alternative vehicles and their air pollution-related public health impacts, published Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The study also shows that switching to vehicles powered by electricity made using natural gas yields large health benefits. Conversely, vehicles running on corn ethanol or vehicles powered by coal-based or "grid average" electricity are worse for health; switching from gasoline to those fuels would increase the number of resulting deaths due to air pollution by 80 percent or more.
"These findings demonstrate the importance of clean electricity, such as from natural gas or renewables, in substantially reducing the negative health impacts of transportation," said Chris Tessum, co-author on the study and a researcher in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering.
The University of Minnesota team estimated how concentrations of two important pollutants--particulate matter and ground-level ozone--change as a result of using various options for powering vehicles. Air pollution is the largest environmental health hazard in the U.S., in total killing more than 100,000 people per year. Air pollution increases rates of heart attack, stroke, and respiratory disease.
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http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/12/10/1406853111.abstract
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Switching to vehicles powered by electricity from renewables (not coal) could save lives (Original Post)
OKIsItJustMe
Dec 2014
OP
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)1. Huh? "clean electricity, such as from natural gas"?
Ah, yes, that clean natural gas....
I'm glad they call out ethanol for what it is, but wish they would provide some details.
Most people don't know what their electricity utility provider's energy mix is.
Coal as a percentage is falling falling falling and has been below 50% of US mix for a few years.
quadrature
(2,049 posts)2. better than oil from the middle east ...
stop polluting the world's oceans