The COVID-19 pandemic caused stress, anxiety, and
unemployment in greater amounts than anyone could have imagined. The amount of
cases and deaths are devastatingly tragic. We have lost family, friends, and
acquaintances and can’t even hold traditional funerals and memorials to say “goodbye”
to these loved ones. Small businesses have also suffered by having to lay off
good employees, endure temporary closures, and some even closing their doors
forever. Turn on the news and it’s depressing.
Despite all of this negativity, there may be some positive
coming out of this crisis that is not getting much news coverage – the better
air quality. With a reduction in global vehicle traffic, air traffic, power
plants, and industrial factories normally contributing to pollutants, the air
quality is much improved. Northern India can now see
the Himalayas after 3 decades of worsening air quality hiding the mountain
range from their view. Pollution over India
has dropped 40-50% compared to a year ago. China
has also seen a tremendous drop in nitrogen dioxide in 2020. Europe
is seeing similar results with a nearly 50% reduction. The northeastern
region of USA including Washington DC, New York City, Boston, and
Philadelphia shows a 30% drop.
Better air quality also reduces the spread of disease. “A
high level of air pollution exacerbates viral uptake because it inflames and
lowers immunity,” says Paul Monks, professor of air pollution at the University
of Leicester. Another benefit of a low-carbon environment is a boost in
agricultural plant growth formally stunted by high pollution resulting in more
plentiful crops.
This accidental experiment is proof that a low-carbon
environment is achievable, something many skeptics have touted as impossible in
the past. While we likely cannot keep the vehicle and air traffic to such low
usage levels and industrial factories to continue producing reduced amount of
goods (i.e. reduced pollutants) when the pandemic is over, we might be able to
convince the world to use better, smarter sources of power for these
contributors. Electric motors exist for
all of these pollutant contributors mentioned above. Electric motors, powered
by magnetics, can make a huge impact in that ideal state of reduced pollutants
we have all been hoping for. Electric motors that ePropelled and other companies are
creating are proving to be more efficient, smaller, lighter, and smarter
with additional features not seen before in induction motors.
The Earth is healing during this crisis. Why would anyone
want to go back to the poor air quality levels we saw a year ago or removing
that majestic mountain range from your rooftop view? Give electric a chance to
take over and we may just start to solve the climate change problem.