Air pollution occurs from a variety of sources and driving your car is just one of them. Each time a person chooses their bicycle over their vehicle, it cuts down on the air pollution in your community and town. There are several ways in which biking instead of driving can reduce pollution and once you know the reasons, you’ll be much more likely to choose your bike over your car.
The main reason why biking reduces air pollution is that it doesn’t use any fuel. The average car produces about 1.3 billion cubic yards of polluted air over the course of its lifespan. Worn tire particles, brake garbage and the emissions from the plastic and other materials in the car also contribute to air pollution. Bikes, on the other hand, don’t present this problem and opting to ride instead of drive is a very powerful way to cut back on the pollution you produce over the course of your day.
Secondly, manufacturing a bike takes far less energy than assembling a car. Factories use energy to create their products and emissions into the air goes along with this. When you choose a bike, you are choosing an option that didn’t release as many pollutants while it was being made. Estimates show that several tons of waste and nearly 1.2 billion cubic yards of pollution are produced for each car that is manufactured. Painting the cars adds about 40 million pounds of pollutants into the air.
Finally, bikes don’t require any motor oil or batteries to operate. Not only does production of those items cause pollution, but they release pollution into the air when used and when disposed of. Bikes are a clean and green solution to the problem.
Even when considering hybrid cars, bikes are still more environmentally friendly. Hybrid cars are still much larger than a bicycle and still require a battery, which clearly has known carcinogens. Hybrid cars often have nickel batteries and nickel mining contributes to air pollution as well. Hybrids also still require gas to run, while bikes do not.
When you choose a bike over a car, you are less likely to go further because it’s hard to ride a bike for long distances. When you’re in the car, it’s easier to travel further from home, which releases even more pollutants into the air around you.
Air pollution can cause all kinds of health issues, from cancer to asthma to skin issues. When you do your part to reduce the amount of pollution in the air by riding your bike instead of hopping in the car, you dramatically reduce the amount of air pollution in your community. Because bikes are operated on muscle power instead of gasoline, you can get from place to place without worrying about harming the environment. Bikes are much more affordable than vehicles and are an ideal choice for anyone who lives close to their workplace and can get to shopping and other errands quickly and close to home.
