New research to be released by Melbourne University on Friday will highlight the catastrophic health impacts of petrol and diesel cars, which is far more insidious than previously thought and could cause more than 11,000 premature deaths in adults each year in Australia.
The study to be presented at the Vehicle Pollution Forum shows that the health toll from dirty car exhausts is about ten times more than road accidents.
In addition to the deaths, the research has also revealed that vehicle emissions in Australia may cause over 12,000 cardiovascular hospitalisations, 66,000 active asthma cases, and almost 7,000 respiratory hospitalisations per year.
Petrol and diesel pollution, a societal health catastrophe
The Melbourne Climate Futures forum follows other major international studies which have found shocking public health impacts resulting from petrol and diesel exhaust pollution.
Two weeks ago a study in California, the first ever to use real world data, found that electric vehicle fleet penetration rates of just 2% resulted in a detectable decrease in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations and asthma-related emergency department visit rates.
Another study conducted by universities in Canada found that exposure to diesel exhaust pollution causes damage to the human brain.
The implications of this research are staggering. Major cities like Sydney and Melbourne have over a million petrol and diesel vehicles pumping out exhaust pollution into the air people breath every day. Most people are simply unaware of the damage this pollution is doing to their health.
During the covid lockdowns in Melbourne there was very little traffic and many people commented on how they noticed how clean the air became after just a few days. This suggests that people living in cities have become so used to high levels of pollution that they don’t even notice it until it’s gone.
The huge opportunity for Australian cities, and cities around the world is that with the right policies and a strong commitment to accelerate the transition away from petrol and diesel cars, the air in our cities could be as clean as it was during covid lockdowns every single day. This would obviously have enormous societal-wide health benefits.
Commenting on the study, Climate Council Head of Advocacy, Dr Jennifer Rayner, said: “Air pollution from cars and other vehicles on our roads is a major health burden on Australians. We already knew that air pollution kills more Australians every year than the road toll, because of harms like respiratory illness, cardiac illness, stroke, premature birth, and high blood pressure. It’s shocking but not surprising to find this figure could be even higher.”
“Everyone has the right to clean air. No one should be dying due to poor air quality when there are things we can do to clean it up right now. Chief among these solutions is putting in place fuel efficiency standards, which cap the amount of pollution car manufacturers can emit from their new fleets.” Dr Rayner said.
“Implementing strong fuel efficiency standards will see Australians enjoy healthier air and more choice of cleaner cars that are also cheaper to run.” She said.
Electric vehicles are part of the solution
As the recent Californian study has proven, electric vehicle uptake is already having a positive effect.
Electric Vehicle Council CEO Behyad Jafari has joined the chorus of doctors and health organisations in an urgent call for action.
The EVC says it is imploring the Federal Government to ‘clear the air’ by introducing strong mandatory fuel efficiency standards, in response to the new research showing significantly more Australians are dying from traffic pollution than previously estimated.
“Combustion engine vehicles are not only bad for the environment, they’re bad for our health. Thankfully, their replacement with electric vehicles will reduce this toll,” Jafari said.
Jafari went on to say “But health and environmental outcomes can improve even faster if the government introduces a strong mandatory fuel efficiency standard, which would decarbonise manufacturers’ portfolios of new vehicles.”
The strength of Australia’s future vehicle emission standards is being decided right now and many experts are calling on the federal government to resist attempts by companies like Toyota who are attempting to weaken the standards.
“Australia has some of the most polluting vehicles in the world yet is the only OECD country without mandatory fuel efficiency standards.” he said “Right now, Australia is choking in the slow lane. We can’t overtake without the targets.” Jafari said.
Biking, walking, public transport and EVs all have a role to play
But it’s not just electric vehicles that are needed. The fastest way to get petrol and diesel cars off the roads is through a multi-pronged approach that includes building infrastructure that encourages people to ditch cars all together.
On Monday the City of Sydney approved its Electrification of Transport in the City action plan and strategy which aims to get petrol and diesel cars off the roads by not only accelerating EV uptake but also by prioritising walking, cycling and public transport.
Commenting on the plan, Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore said “Reducing private vehicle dependence is the most effective way to cut emissions, so we remain focused on delivering our comprehensive bike network, supporting ambitious public transport projects and ensuring our city is a pleasant and accessible place to walk to, from and around,”
Climate Council’s Dr Jennifer Rayner agrees “Electrifying our public transport fleets, and getting more people to use public and active transport options such as walking and cycling will also deliver cleaner, healthier air – particularly in our cities where dense clusters of cars on roads beside main footpaths and shopping strips can put pedestrians at risk.”
Learning from the places that do it well
Australia can learn a lot about getting petrol and diesel cars out of cities from countries like Denmark and the Netherlands.
Anyone who’s been to these countries knows just how easy (and pleasant) getting around a city can be when walking and cycling are prioritised.
Street Films Community, who made the short documentary Nijmegen: The City That Tamed Cars So People Can Walk & Bike Where They Please says:
“The car-free centre of Nijmegen is full of street life. Kids play and ride bikes without giving it a second thought. People just don’t have to worry about cars. Nijmegen has accomplished this by devising a system where essential motor traffic, like buses and deliveries, has access to central city streets, but other vehicles do not.”
In the city centre, cycling accounts for nearly 60 percent of trips, according to Sjors Van Duren, program director of Velo-City.
More and more research is showing the devastating impacts petrol and diesel exhaust pollution is having on all Australians and their children.
It is now critical that decision makers at all levels of government work to implement the range of solutions available and accelerate the shift away from petrol and diesel transport as fast as possible
We can develop cities with clean air if we choose to.
What could be more important?
Daniel Bleakley is a clean technology researcher and advocate with a background in engineering and business. He has a strong interest in electric vehicles, renewable energy, manufacturing and public policy.