several million tons
Daily cycling can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions
08/20/2022, 3:45 pm
Everyone can help reduce carbon dioxide pollution. This is evidenced by a study from Denmark, where people ride about 1.6 kilometers per day instead of driving. If everyone had to commute as much as the Danes, more than 400 million tons of carbon dioxide could be saved each year.
According to a new study, by cycling daily, each person can help reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by up to 700 million tons per year. Hauptziel der in der Zeitschrift “Communications Earth and Environment” veröffentlichten Studie sei es zu zeigen, dass Radfahren bei der Verringerung des CO2-Ausstoßes durch den Verkehr eine wichtige Rolle Uni spiele, Professor chen sgürnä ddüren G he is.
According to Liu, the focus of discussion so far has been on the advantages of electric cars. Annual carbon dioxide emissions can be significantly reduced simply by cycling every day. Health benefits and improved air quality are not included.
In this context, the study refers to the Netherlands and Denmark – the Dutch cycle is about 2.6 kilometers per day, and the Danes are about 1.6 kilometers. If everyone cycled as much as the Danes do, 414 million tons of carbon dioxide would be saved each year, which the researchers calculated equals Britain’s annual carbon dioxide emissions. With 2.6 kilometers of bike paths, as in the Netherlands, emissions could even be reduced by 686 million tons per year. Global traffic is responsible for a quarter of annual carbon dioxide emissions – one cause of global warming. Half of these emissions now come from cars.
The study processed data collected by an international research team since the early 1960s in the world’s first database of bicycle ownership and use in 60 countries. According to researchers, from 1962 to 2015, the number of bikes produced exceeded the number of cars. China alone, one of the largest sources of global carbon dioxide emissions, accounts for nearly two-thirds of the nearly 123 million bicycles manufactured in 2015.
However, in the countries examined, bicycle use on daily trips averaged only five percent. According to the study, while bicycles are plentiful in some countries, such as the United States, owners view cycling as more of a recreational activity than a daily means of transportation, and they often travel short distances by car.
