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4 problems:
1. Conflating CO2 with particulate matter
2. Amortizing a evening's worth of emissions over 365 days
3. Conflating activities with different economic roles
4. Not acknowledging the progress made by the "baseline" activity https://twitter.com/ShaunakSA/status/1325694772451762176
1. Conflating CO2 with particulate matter
2. Amortizing a evening's worth of emissions over 365 days
3. Conflating activities with different economic roles
4. Not acknowledging the progress made by the "baseline" activity https://twitter.com/ShaunakSA/status/1325694772451762176
1. CO2 footprint is a global warming concern - it isn't an immediate public health concern.
What is a problem, and what AQI measures is particulate emission - PM2.5/PM5/PM10 particles that cause respiratory issues.
US - huge carbon footprint, low AQI. India - vice versa.
What is a problem, and what AQI measures is particulate emission - PM2.5/PM5/PM10 particles that cause respiratory issues.
US - huge carbon footprint, low AQI. India - vice versa.
2. A car is driven year round. A cultural event marked by firecrackers unfolds over an evening. This evening's worth of emissions can't be amortized across one year.
Three drinks in 1 hour is drunken driving, 0.03 drinks in 100 hours is not.
Three drinks in 1 hour is drunken driving, 0.03 drinks in 100 hours is not.
3. Complex hypothesis, but should be intuitive. Transport is a primitive that enables all industrialization. Firecrackers is an "end industry". Any multiplier gains that accrue from spending on firecrackers will also accrue from spending the same amount on anything else.
4. Despite all that, vehicle emissions is globally recognized to be a problem. We have 30 years of tightening emissions standards, from Euro 1 to Euro 6. We dis-incentivize private vehicles in cities and promote mass transport/EVs.
What's the firework equivalent?
What's the firework equivalent?
This is not to say that fireworks are, or not are, a problem. Obviously lighting up an entire state's worth of land can't be ignored, and need to be fixed first.
Data-driven measures to stagger, or innovate in low-emissions fireworks, can be considered.
Data-driven measures to stagger, or innovate in low-emissions fireworks, can be considered.
But an AQI of 500 is not okay. We must be open to looking at evidence and doing what's necessary. A public health concern can not be mis-characterized. Compromise solutions can be possible. It is not a binary debate.
