Bad Technology in the Rearview Mirror

New research comes out frequently about the health effects of air pollution, but in the midst of all the other news that surrounds us, it doesn't get much attention. 

For instance, one fact that I think very few people have heard is how much air pollution comes from tire wear, and the newer the tire, the worse the amount of fine particles it emits. The heavier the vehicle, the worse the amount of fine particles it emits.

Guess what kind of vehicles are heavy, and therefore require new tires more frequently? Electric cars, and electric SUVs even more so. 

Tires are also made up of a wide array of materials, with up to 250 different chemicals across the different brands. Hmm, I wonder if their compositions are trade secrets.

A recent thread on Twitter gave a good round-up of research on air pollution (though not about tires specifically), with links:

• The more air pollution you breathe, the more likely it is you'll develop cancer.
•  For every 10 micrograms per cubic meter of increased exposure to fine inhalable particles (PM2.5), the risk of dying from any cancer rises by 22%.
• “The more fine particulate matter pollution you are exposed to, the more likely you are to die from cardiopulmonary disease or lung cancer.”
• From before birth to death, air pollution increases the risk of stroke, dementia, cancer, multiple longer-term illness including respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and early death.
• In the UK, outdoor air pollution is thought to contribute up to 43,000 deaths every year. In the U.S., deaths from air pollution (about 90,000) are higher than deaths from car accidents (44,000) and homicides (20,000). Globally, air pollution is thought to contribute to one in five deaths. "The problem is so large it actually offers a better rationale for transitioning to cleaner energy than even climate change."
• Air pollution is cutting short the lives of billions of people by up to six years, making it a far greater killer than smoking, car crashes or HIV/Aids. [Conversely, the] more a city cleans up its air, the longer the life expectancy of its inhabitants.
• Air pollution raises the risk of miscarriage and is known to harm fetuses by increasing the risk of premature birth and low birth weight. Recent research has also found pollution particles in placentas.
• Air pollution affects people who contribute the least, like children, older people, people with health conditions... The people most affected by air pollution from cars often can't afford to drive.

I've marked this post with the Bad Technology tag. I believe that automobiles are a technology that would never have been allowed if its effects on health, climate, and society had been known ahead of time, and it had been subject to a fair vote. 

And here we are, facing the oncoming AI juggernaut that none of us have a say about.