This year’s Asthma Awareness Month, let’s promote prevention—and work toward solutions

There are few things more heartbreaking than when a child is sick, and unfortunately, because of tailpipe pollution, millions of parents across our country are preventably sent running for their kids’ inhalers, or worse, to the hospital. That’s why May, which is Asthma Awareness Month, is so important every year—as the weather warms up, it reminds us to stay vigilant about air quality. But this year, I think we should also spread awareness regarding one of the best solutions to remedy unnecessary air pollution: electric vehicles (EVs).

Washingtonians have long suffered the double threat of increased population and air pollution, paired with hot, muggy spring and summer days that send our air quality into code red status. These factors worsen smog pollution, which is formed by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen, volatile organic compounds, and sunlight. 

The American Lung Association ranks the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington Metro area as among the top 25 worst in the nation for smog pollution—and as a father of children with asthma, and someone who grew up with it myself, I can attest to how frustratingly awful wheezing and coughing is. My wife and I always check the weather before sending our kids on field trips, summer camps, or just to play outside, but we sometimes overlook air quality in the warmer weather months. It’s an innocent omission, but one that can come with dire consequences, as the 25 million other Americans who suffer from asthma know all too well.

Big stationary coal plants often receive the bulk of attention when we talk about emissions, but the truth is that transportation is the highest emitting sector in our economy, and the only one that is getting worse year after year. Luckily, we have begun to witness the ascendancy of an industry that will drastically reduce automotive pollution. Right now, the surface transportation industry is going through an electric revolution that promises to not only give passengers better riding experiences, but to also entirely eliminate tailpipe emissions. 

If we make the right investments, families from all walks of life will be shuttling from school to soccer with no exhaust and little noise. Even the clouds of black smoke spewing out of school buses and other heavy duty tailpipes will be a thing of the past. As you read this, clean transportation companies are investing tens of billions of dollars across the country to provide new electric vehicle offerings, and state and local governments are investing heavily in deploying charging infrastructure to accommodate the increasing demand for public charging. 

A future with cleaner air and fewer hospital room visits for parents and kids is possible. But we can’t take it for granted. It’s important for Congress and the White House to pass policies that incentivize transportation electrification, like expanding the consumer EV tax credit, making used EVs eligible as well, and further investing in zero emission medium and heavy duty vehicles—along with strong charging incentives to power them all. 

We should continue to use Asthma Awareness Month as a reminder to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe from air pollution by checking the air quality regularly. But let’s also work toward having a zero-emission transportation system that prioritizes the myriad health benefits of electric vehicles. 

Joe Britton is executive director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association.