The latest wave of carbon reduction initiatives sees legislators targeting small engines, which potentially cause more pollution than do passenger vehicles. Handheld horticultural tools have thus become newly targeted.
Though not everyone will have used these tools, most people have seen them being used by laborers. Some of these tools include handheld lawn mowers with a circular saw at the edge and leaf blowers that resemble a giant fan. With the latest legislation, however, these tools will likely soon be history.
As one of the vanguards of carbon reduction, California is not only a hotbed of rapid green energy and EV development, but also the first state in the US to announce a ban on ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles. Governor Newsom recently signed a bill that will prohibit the sale of small tools equipped with ICE engines, and the agricultural and horticultural industries will be among the first to bear the brunt of the resultant impact.
▲ Leaf blower with an ICE engine (Source: Pixabay)
According to this new bill, customers that buy electronic tools used to replace their existing ICE ones will be eligible for a subsidy, paid for by a previous clean-air plan. The new bill is set to take effect on January 1, 2024.
Although lawn mowers and leaf blowers are relatively compact objects, the pollution they cause far outweigh their size. They emit gaseous nitrogen oxides, potentially carcinogenic organic compounds, and particulates that are damaging to the human lungs. According to figures released by officials in California, one hour of ICE leaf blower use yields about the same amount of harmful substances as driving a 2017 Toyota Camry for 1,600 km.
Large pollutions come in small packages
As these machines place heavy emphasis on minimizing weight and discomfort caused by vibrations, not much space can be budgeted for processing exhaust air. That is why despite having an emission of less than 30 cm3, the machines’ air pollution is rather severe.
The government of California estimates that the state houses about 16.7 million such small ICE machines, including agricultural tools, horticultural tools, and diesel generators. This figure is coincidentally almost half the number of vehicles in California. Although the state government began requesting reduced air pollution emissions from small ICE tools in 1990, the effort has yielded limited results. Their relative pollution levels became even more apparent after the increasing adoption of EVs. According to data from the state government, small ICE tools emitted more air pollution than did passenger cars in California last year.
The EPA unveiled the results of an experiment in 2006 that indicated that one hour of ICE lawn mower operation exposed the average user to the equivalent of 24 hours of high-pollution air environment under US standards.
The other source of harm coming from these tools has to do with their fuel tank. With the tools sitting idle, fuels stored in these tools yield benzene and other such harmful substances while volatilizing. If the average consumer stores these lawn mowers inside their garage or storeroom, the aforementioned substances may enter the house itself and cause harm. Although the government of California set restrictions regarding the substances emitted by ICE tools in 2003, many companies have yet to act in accordance with said restrictions.
Major Japanese manufacturers Kawasaki and Yamaha have both been fined by California multiple times; they have also signed agreements with the government of California to abide by the aforementioned restrictions regarding toxic substances. Once the new law comes into force, li-ion batteries and electric motors will eliminate these issues.
Given the slow development of EVs in Taiwan, it goes without saying that Taiwan would be even slower to react to other, non-automotive sources of pollution. Fortunately, most Taiwanese people have no use for lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Hence, if one sees a horticultural worker hard at work outside, one would be wise to pay their respects from a distance, hold their breath, and make a swift exit from the vicinity.
(Image: Unsplash)
