In my line of work, one sometimes hears strange things. These include allegations that leaf blowers or pet manure should be high-priority targets for reducing climate emissions. I'm in a myth-busting mood today, so I am happy to report that leaf blowers don't really rate.
In the U.S., the emissions from all leaf blowers, both residential and commercial, for all of 2008 will be roughly equivalent to the emissions from driving that occurred between the arrival of the new year and 11:00 a.m. on January 1.
Add to that the entire year's worth of snowblowers, and you can equal the driving emissions up until 1:30 p.m. on the first.
Add in all lawn mowers, both residential and commercial, including the big riding and tractor-type units. Add in rototillers and other turf maintenance equipment. Add chainsaws, chippers, stump grinders, and shredders. Now add trimmers, edgers, brush cutters, and any other garden tool you can think of. The combined emissions from all of that racket-making equipment, for the entire year, is roughly equal to the driving that occurred before afternoon rush hour on January 6.
Of course, that's not really the whole story.
Here's a different way to think about leaf blowers: they emit more than 2.6 million tons of carbon-dioxide each year in the U.S. And each year they burn enough fuel to fill 6.4 million oil barrels. (More than 90 percent of the fuel use and emissions are from commercial leaf blowers.) Now, that sounds like a lot because it is a lot. It's just that it's nowhere near the impact of driving -- not even a single day's worth of driving.
So, from the perspective of climate protection, it makes more sense to go after the big fish -- cars and trucks -- where even a tiny improvement can translate into a huge gain.
On the other hand, from the perspective of protecting local air quality, it might make sense to worry about yard equipment. They have small but dirty two-stroke engines that can be responsible for a surprising share of health-harming air pollutants. (But these pollutants are mostly not the heat-trapping gases that cause climate change, a distinction that is frequently overlooked.)
The most important perspective, however, is the perspective of not-annoying-me-while-I'm-enjoying-a-cold-drink-on-the-patio. From this vantage point, it would be wise to replace gas-powered yard tools with electric or muscle-powered versions. And one good place to start would be my neighbor's lawn mower.
Figures in this post are calculated from the U.S. Department of Transportation, "Transportation Energy Data Book," table 2.10, here; and the Federal Highway Administration's "Highway Statistics Series," table MF-21, here. I used 2005 data, the most recent available for comparison; and for rhetorical purposes I assumed that driving emissions are equally distributed across each hour of the year, which they aren't.
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Comments View as Flat
Laurence Aurbach Posted 9:02 am
25 Jan 2008
Leafblower sources
Your basic point is right -- cars and light trucks constitute the huge bulk of the pollution problem on the national scale. But leafblowers earn their bad reputation fair and square.
Here's the California Air Resources Board leaf blower report page.
And here's CARB's Final Leaf Blower Report.
In the final report, see Table 9, page 50 for commercial leaf blower emissions. The text says:
See Table 10, page 53 for homeowner leaf blower emissions. The text says:
Ped Shed Blog
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Bart Anderson Posted 10:33 am
25 Jan 2008
Framework
Is this really the best framework for addressing the issue?
Namely: picking some process or behavior, calculating its current contribution to greenhouse emissions, then calibrating one's response accordingly.
For one thing, every industry under the sun will point out that ITS contribution is only X%, so why pick on them? The airlines have already made that argument.
A second reason, is that this analysis tends to be superficial. For example, landscapes that require leaf blowers are environmentally challenged in other ways (ask a permaculturalist for details).
Third, some issues that are not significant in terms of emissions are useful for building alliances. The many people who hate the noise of leaf blowers are potential allies.
Most importantly, this framework neglects the fact that our behaviors come in bundles. If one is aware and active about leaf blowers, one is apt to get involved in other issues as well.
Bart
Bart
Energy Bulletin
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birdboy Posted 10:46 am
25 Jan 2008
mmmm, 2-stroke exhaust...
Ah, here comes another Saturday. About 8:30 in the morning, my good neighbor will start up his leaf blower and chase leaves, one at a time, down the length of his driveway to the street. An hour or two later, when he can find no more leaves, he'll crank up his lawnmower for a few trips around the 1/2 acre lot, just in case a few dandilions have dared to poke their heads up from the cold ground. Then comes the gas powered pressure washer, to spray every square inch of his Titan, his kid's ATV's, and maybe the the garage. After lunch, the kids will take over the neighborhood with their two-stroke toys, up and down the streets, under the power lines, through the easement, around and around.
These folks would kill to keep their polluting toys- the neighborhood (and the Earth) can just suck it up. I honestly believe they like the smell.
a liberal in redsville
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JMG Posted 12:03 pm
25 Jan 2008
Yes
The obvious thing with respect to greenhouse is simply to go upstream --- count how much gas or coal or whatever and compute from there.
So, no, goddamn infernal only-wielded-by-
obnoxious-morons leaf blowers are not really a big greenhouse threat.
As others have noted though, there are a host of other ills that accompany the damn things, particularly the inducement to commit homicide against the neighbors whom we are told to love ... even such richly justified homicide is, alas, still a crime.
Save the world: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 5% annually.
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Tasermons Partner Posted 12:48 pm
25 Jan 2008
Noise pollution...
...don't forget 'bout that. Electric blowers create far less noise. And rakes and brooms create virtually none.
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spgass Posted 2:25 pm
13 Nov 2008
Noise Pollution
I agree with you about leaf blowers disturbing people on the weekends. If interested, more reasons to choose a rake over a leaf blower are at: http://lowtechtimes.com/2008/11/14/rakes-vs-leafblowers/
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