Capping carbon emissions at 25 percent over a decade in just 12 states could spare 60,000 birth defects, autism diagnoses, and infant deaths per year, study claims.
Researchers at Columbia University simulated air pollution changes from 2022 to 2032, finding the hypothetical emission cap would come from investments in electric vehicles and mass transportation.
By reducing nitrogen oxides, ammonia, and particulate matter in the air through the combination, with the most resources put towards public transportation, could lead to 58,000 fewer cases of asthma attacks and respiratory issues.
The study said state lawmakers would need to cap carbon emissions that come from regulated fuel suppliers and gas-powered vehicles in order to mirror their findings.
Electric vehicles could save minors aged five to 17 from major health issues
Switching to EVs would reduce asthma attacks, infant mortality, and autism by nearly 60,000 in 12 U.S. states alone
‘Climate policies can have major effects not just on climate, but also on health and environmental justice,’ said senior author Jonathan Buonocore, assistant professor of Environmental Health at Boston University School of Public Health.
‘Our research shows the importance of including these other benefits of policies when evaluating climate policies,’ he added.
Researchers at Columbia University’s Milman School of Public Health focused on the affect capping carbon emissions would have on minor’s health across 12 northeastern states including Maine, New York, Maryland, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.
Traffic is one of the top causes of carbon pollution in the U.S., accounting for 28 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the country, yet the demand for EVs continues to decrease.
The nationwide demand for EVs dropped from 76 percent in 2022 to 50 percent last year, even as states like California work to impose a ban on gas-powered vehicles by 2035.
They looked at three carbon emission caps of 20 percent, 22 percent, and 25 percent and combined each cap to three difference investment strategies including diversified, hybrid, and Max GHG.
The diversified strategy prioritized improvements to public transit and active mobility and the Max GHG scenario focused on switching to cleaner fuel and using more electric vehicles.
Meanwhile the hybrid strategy was a combination of both diversified and Max GHG scenarios.
Researchers found that the combination of the highest CO2 cap of 25 percent and the diversified scenario produced the most health benefits for children and infants in more than half of the potential health outcomes.
In this scenario, the team estimated that it avoided 95 percent of asthma attacks that would have required medical attention, 99 percent avoided upper and lower respiratory issues, and 95 percent avoided pre-term births.
Researchers said in the study that it would be up to state lawmakers to approve a Transportation and Climate Initiative that would place a cap on CO2 emissions from gas-powered vehicles.
The initiative would also require regulated fuel suppliers to purchase CO2 ‘allowances’ at an auction.
The proceeds from the auction would be invested in clean transportation programs and projects including switching to EVs and focusing on public transportation.
‘Health benefits assessments often overlook children’s health outcomes,’ said the study’s co-author Frederica Perera, professor of environmental health sciences at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health at Columbia Mailman.
‘Yet we know that early exposure to air pollutants has multiple detrimental effects on children’s health and well-being, and these are preventable.’
The number of asthma attacks would be reduced by more than 130,000 per state in the U.S. if the country uses fully electric vehicles by 2050
Air pollutants was found to trigger inflammation and oxidative stress in the body during pregnancy, which could disrupt a baby’s normal brain development.
Exposure could also interfere with the fetus’s nervous system’s growth and development which could lead to neurodevelopmental disorders like autism.
‘Exposure to pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been linked to a higher likelihood of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis in children,’ Above and Beyond said.
The Columbia University study said that by replacing gas-powered vehicles with EVs and public transportation, more than 58,000 cases of infant mortality, preterm birth, low birth weight, autism spectrum disorder, new cases of asthma, worsened asthma symptoms, and other respiratory illnesses would be avoided.
The study suggested that lawmakers should impose caps on carbon emissions, with researchers saying not only can it save minors, but it can also have a positive effect on climate change.
‘Ambitious carbon caps and policies that focus on vulnerable groups, including children, can both improve health outcomes and help mitigate the impacts of climate change,’ said lead author Alique Berberian, graduate student researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles.
‘Children’s bodies are developing physically, which can make them more vulnerable to climate-related hazards like heat and poor air quality,’ according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
It added: ‘They also breathe at a faster rate, increasing their exposure to dangerous air pollutants.’
According to the 2023 ‘State of the Air’ report, more than 27 million children in the U.S. live in counties that have unhealthy levels for at least one air pollutant.
Meanwhile, a new report also detailed that the rising number of climate-fueled extreme weather events disproportionately affect children’s health.
Long-term air pollution exposure from wildfire smoke or extreme heat can harm adolescents’ lung function, cause heat-related stress, and can impact fetal development.
Exposure to particle pollution during pregnancy can lead to a premature birth, low birth weight, miscarriage, and stillbirth.
A separate report by the American Lung Association found that switching to fully electric vehicles nationwide by 2050 would prevent roughly 2.8 million pediatric asthma attacks and more than 500 infant deaths.
Other studies have suggested that inhaling pollution during pregnancy can increase the risk of childhood autism, with the risk appearing to be higher for boys.
‘Prenatal exposure to air pollution, particularly during critical periods of brain development, has been identified as a potential risk factor for autism,’ Above and Beyond Therapy reported.
