A report by the American Lung Association in California claims that a “car of the future” scenario in which zero emission vehicles replace a large percentage of the existing fleet of cars in the state would lead to a greater than 70% reduction in asthma and prevent up to 8400 asthma attacks and 420 premature deaths.
According to the report, 7 of the top 10 most ozone-polluted cities in the US are in California, and another California city is also in the top 10.
The organization recommends that “California should adopt a clean car package that couples strong smog and particle pollution controls and greenhouse gas emission standards with an aggressive zero emission vehicle requirement that achieves at least 45 percent reduction in greenhouse gases in the new motor vehicle fleet by 2025 compared to levels achieved under current standards.”
Without new standards, the report says, the current fleet will eventually cause 11,400 asthma attacks and 570 premature deaths annually.
Read the report.
