CLEARING THE AIR: How Electric Vehicles and Cleaner Trucks Can Help Reduce Pollution, Improve Health and Save Lives in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area

People in the Greater Toronto Hamilton and Area (GTHA) use vehicles every day to travel to work, go to school, move goods, and do many other tasks. This vehicle travel emits air pollution that contributes to illness and premature deaths, and greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for climate change. We've modelled five scenarios (plus a base case of current conditions) to compare the health benefits of reducing traffic pollution from cars and SUVs, trucks, and buses. Each scenario explores what the GTHA can look like with a specific mix of cleaner vehicles, and how this shift impacts air pollution, improves health, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions in the region.

Check out interactive maps below!

You can check out the interactive maps below to compare how each scenario can reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions to improve health and save lives.

Read The Report
Read The Blog
Read The Press Release
Read The Stakeholder Report
Solutions Page

These are some of the traffic-related air pollutants that are of most concern to human health:

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2): Nitrogen dioxide is a harmful air pollutant produced from the burning of fossil fuels, primarily from transportation. It's responsible for over 900 deaths in Canada every year.

Nitrogen Oxides (NOx): Nitrogen dioxide and nitric oxide are referred to as nitrogen oxides. NOx is primarily emitted as nitric oxide which rapidly converts to nitrogen dioxide.

Ozone (O3): Ground level ozone is a secondary pollutant, formed when nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants react in sunlight and stagnant air. O3 is responsible for 3,600 premature deaths in Canada every year.

Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5): Fine particulate matter is a mixture of a number of pollutants harmful to health because they can get deep into the lungs and contribute to heart and lung disease. PM2.5 accounts for 9,700 deaths in Canada each year.

Black Carbon (BC) is a component of PM2.5, primarily coming from the burning of fossil fuels in diesel vehicles. It is linked to illness and premature death.

Greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, ozone and water vapour) are the pollutants primarily responsible for climate change, because they trap heat within the earth's atmosphere.

Pollution Guide
Scenario Comparison Chart
View the Video
Watch The Webinar
Take Action

Interactive Maps!

YEARS OF LIFE SAVED IN THE GTHA EVERY YEAR PER 100,000 INHABITANTS BY MODELLED SCENARIO

Use the sliding function to compare two maps and see which scenario will save more years of life. The more green on the map, the more years of life that scenario saves every year.

Select the two maps you want to compare

20� Electric Cars SUVs YLS

20% Electric Cars/SUVs

100� Electric Public Transit Buses YLS

100% Electric Public Transit Buses

100� Electric Cars SUVs YLS

100% Electric Cars/SUVs

50� Electric Cars SUVs YLS

50% Electric Cars/SUVs

100� Cleaner Trucks YLS

100% Cleaner Trucks

DAILY TRAFFIC-RELATED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN THE GTHA BY MODELLED SCENARIO

Use the sliding function to compare two maps and see which scenario reduces more greenhouse gas emissions every day..

Select the two maps you want to compare

Average Day GHG new

Average Weekday in the GTHA
Total GHG Emissions: 34,340 tonnes of CO2 eq.

100 per cent electric transit buses new

100% of public transit buses are electric
Total GHG Emissions: 33,370 tonnes of CO2 eq.

50 per cent electric cars GHG new

50% of cars/SUVs are electric
Total GHG Emissions: 22,600 tonnes of CO2 eq.

100 per cent cleaner trucks GHG new

100% of trucks are cleaner (2008 technology standards)
Total GHG Emissions: 34,150 tonnes of CO2 eq.

20 per cent electric cars GHG new

20% of cars/SUVs are electric
Total GHG Emissions: 29,763 tonnes of CO2 eq.

100 per cent electric cars GHG new

100% of cars/SUVs are electric
Total GHG Emissions: 10,795 tonnes of CO2 eq.

NITROGEN DIOXIDE CONCENTRATIONS IN THE GTHA BY MODELLED SCENARIO

Use the sliding function to compare two maps and see which scenario will better reduce concentrations of harmful nitrogen dioxide. Less red on the map means lower concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and cleaner air.

Select the two maps you want to compare

Average Day NO2

Average Day

50� Electric Cars SUVs NO2

50% Electric Cars/SUVs

100� Electric Cars SUVs NO2

100% Electric Cars/SUVs

20� Electric Cars Suvs NO2

20% Electric Cars/SUVs

100� Electric Public Transit Buses NO2

100% Electric Public Transit Buses

100� Cleaner Trucks NO2

100% Cleaner Trucks

BLACK CARBON CONCENTRATIONS IN THE GTHA BY MODELLED SCENARIO

Use the sliding function to compare two maps and see which scenario will better reduce concentrations of harmful black carbon.. Less red on the map means lower concentrations of black carbon and cleaner air.

Select the two maps you want to compare

Average Day BC

Average Day

50� Electric Cars SUVs BC

50% Electric Cars/SUVs

100� Electric Cars SUVs BC

100% Electric Cars/SUVs

20� Electric Cars SUVs BC

20% Electric Cars/SUVs

100� Electric Public Transit Buses BC

100% Electric Public Transit Buses

100� Cleaner Trucks BC

100% Cleaner Trucks

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Contact Us