At risk of producing yet another edition of “Enviro-geek whining about something basically inconsequential,” this kinda ticked me off.
The city of Seattle—like everyone and their grandmother—has a list (pdf link) of the “Top ten things you can do to reduce global warming.” Clocking in at number 5: use a push or electric mower, rather than a gas-powered one. “Gasoline mowers are one of biggest polluters in the neighborhood,” reasons the city.
True ’nuff. Older mowers, in particular, produce lots of carbon monoxide, volatile organics, and particulates—things that you and your neighbors would probably prefer not to breathe.
But problems for global warming? Not so much.
Sure, gas mowers use a bit of fuel. But stowing your mower for a season is nowhere near the 5th most important thing you can do in your personal life to combat global warming. Maybe it’s in the top 50—but number five? Nah. Cutting out a couple of trips to the mall is probably a bigger deal.
I only mention this because it’s an example of a problem I’ve seen cropping up in other areas, particularly debates over highways. Many people confuse local air quality problems—smog and the like—with global warming. But they’re just not the same thing.
For example, some computer models show that building new highway lanes may reduce smog-forming emissions (at least over the short term) by easing the stop-and-go traffic snarls, when engines run especially dirty. But even if it makes sense for smog, strategy building new lanes be incredibly counterproductive in the fight against global warming. Sure, free-flowing traffic may produce less smog, but extra lanes mean that people will drive more—and more driving means more climate-warming gases.
Just so, shelving your mower might be a great idea for your lungs, and your neighbors’ too. But we shouldn’t pretend that it’s going to do much to cut back on CO2 emissions—which are the real culprit in climate change.
(Hat tip to Yoram Bauman)
jhunt
Lawn mowers are very big polluters that many people use quite often. Without proper maintenance and care, this can lead to lots of pollution. People should look for alternatives like electric models.
ryanpacker87
electric models don’t really help to combat global warming either…unless your house runs from a power plant that doesn’t release gases, am I wrong?
Matt the Engineer
They help in the Pacific Northwest, with our wonderful 80% hydroelectric power supply. Of course there are arguments that we’re at our limit of hydroelectric capacity and new capacity may be fossil-based, but that only counts if you mow your lawn during peak periods and if we don’t invest in wind for added capacity.
edoherty
Below is a fine example of deliberate mixing of smog producing pollutants and GHG emissions by a government spin doctor. Now, from this article, can you tell if total GHG emissions, or GHG emissions from automobiles are going to go up or down and by how much?Gateway will add to greenhouse-gas emissions: Report Frank Luba, The ProvincePublished: Friday, September 14, 2007It’s expected that there will be an additional 176,000 tonnes of greenhouse-gas emissions annually in the Lower Mainland by 2021 if the province’s ambitious $3-billion Gateway Program goes ahead.Executive director Mike Proudfoot conceded yesterday that greenhouse gases will go up, but he said Lower Mainland air will still be cleaner by 2021 after the completion of the provincially sponsored transportation program.Gateway calls for major highway improvements such as twinning of the Port Mann Bridge and expansion of the Trans-Canada Highway from Langley to Vancouver.The news that greenhouse-gas emissions will rise comes from a Metro Vancouver report on Ministry of Transportation revisions to the program’s South Fraser Perimeter Road project.”Traffic-related greenhouse-gas emissions with the Gateway Program will be 2.1 per cent (approximately 176,000 tonnes) higher in 2021, as compared to a ‘without Gateway’ scenario,” said the report.But Proudfoot said reports to the province’s Environmental Assessment Office show “there is an overall improvement in air quality after 2021 over today.””There is a reduction in air contaminants by 2021 over today because of things such as better fuel formulas and tougher vehicle-emissions standards,” said Proudfoot, who also pointed to improvements from increased transit.The same Metro Vancouver report also indicated that 27.4 per cent of total Lower Fraser Valley emissions by 2021 will be traffic-related with the Gateway Program—compared to 27.0 without Gateway and 25.4 per cent in 2003.The Environmental Assessment Office began taking submissions yesterday from the public on the Port Mann twinning and will do so until Nov. 13.More details are available at http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca.fluba@png.canwest.com
Sungsu
Gas powered mowers are horribly inefficient.”One gas mower running for an hour emits the same amount of pollutants as eight new cars driving 55 mph for the same amount of time, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.””A single gas lawn mower, for example, emits 80 pounds of atmospheric-warming carbon dioxide each year, according to the EPA.”
Clark Williams-Derry
No question, Sungsu, gas powered lawn mowers are bad polluters. But while 80 pounds is certainly a bad thing, CO2 emissions per capita in the US total about 40,000 pounds per year. So at that rate, a family of four emits 2,000 times as much—for their car, house, food, services, etc.—as their lawn mower lets off. (See here for a nice graph.)I’m not at all arguing that gas mowers are good. Just that switching from a gas-powered mower probably shouldn’t be #5 on a government-approved list of things you can do to alleviate global warming.
PolluteLessDotCom
Of course the are inefficient. Especially the older models. They are not designed with fuel efficiency in mind. At the moment few people care about this. You are not necessarily better off with a new model though. This new mower has to be manufactured and the energy for this process needs to be included in any calculation of fuel efficiency. Electric mowers do not (yet) grow on trees and have to be made as well. Those with batteries add a whole new dimension to the problem. Not to YOUR problem, but to society’s problem: Getting rid of old batteries.Best solution: Plant something else that needs no power tool for maintenance.And this is exactly why you will not find such an idea on a government list: Even though it is often the cleanest solution, no profits can be made by anyone if you stop consuming or use human power.Karstenhttp://www.polluteless.com