We must prevent a post-COVID 'carmageddon'. Here's how

The author warns of a potential 'carmageddon' where people return to private vehicles after COVID-19 lockdowns, reversing the temporary improvements in air quality. The text advocates for 'open streets' that prioritize pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport over cars, particularly to protect children who are more vulnerable to air pollution. It highlights the low adoption rate of electric vehicles and the contribution of larger vehicles like SUVs to global CO2 emissions, calling for a 'green industrial revolution' through economic recovery packages.

• Children are disproportionately affected by air pollution because they breathe three times faster than adults, which increases their intake of pollutants and may exacerbate conditions such as asthma and pneumonia.
• There is a potential link between air pollution and COVID-19, suggesting that exposure to toxic air may have made vulnerable populations more susceptible to severe illness, leading to higher rates of death and hospitalization.
• Despite the 'dieselgate' scandal, the transition to electric vehicles has been slow; they represented only 2.6% of global sales in 2019 and 1% of the total vehicle stock.
• The trend toward larger vehicle sizes, such as SUVs, is identified by the IEA as the second-largest driver of global CO2 emission increases since 2010, following the power sector.
• The document proposes 'open streets' or 'shared streets' as a post-lockdown strategy to restrict private vehicular traffic and prioritize diverse uses including walking, cycling, public transport, and social interaction.

APA

Verburg, S. W. I. (2020). We must prevent a post-COVID 'carmageddon'. Here's how. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/prevent-post-covid-carmageddon/

Chicago

Verburg, Sheila Watson, Imke. We must prevent a post-COVID 'carmageddon'. Here's how. World Economic Forum, 2020. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/prevent-post-covid-carmageddon/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Verburg |first1=Sheila Watson, Imke |title=We must prevent a post-COVID 'carmageddon'. Here's how |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=7 September 2020 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/prevent-post-covid-carmageddon/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{verburg2020must, author = {Verburg, Sheila Watson, Imke}, title = {{We must prevent a post-COVID 'carmageddon'. Here's how}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/prevent-post-covid-carmageddon/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }