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We talk a lot about electric cars as a way to reduce our GHG emissions, but what about small gasoline-powered devices with a two-stroke engine (mower, blower, chain saw, etc.)? Would more rigorous regulations, like those recently adopted in Vancouver, be possible?
The arrival of good weather signals the imminent return of green lawns and… mowers. In addition to waking up late risers on the weekend, these gasoline-powered devices also have a bothersome downside: their production of air pollutants.
Known for their lightness and power, engines of this type are found in a host of vehicles and devices: lawn mowers, chain saws and leaf blowers, but also snowmobiles, ATVs and boats.
Not only do they consume more fuel than other engines, but they also emit many more harmful residues that contribute to the formation of smog, such as carbon monoxide (CO), fine particles and nitrous oxide (N).2O).
They are also emitters of greenhouse gases. A 2021 study indicates that all motorized garden equipment in the United States emitted 30 million tons of CO each year2, the main cause of climate change. For comparison, Quebec emitted 79 million tonnes of GHGs in 2022.
According to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), a California government agency, a domestic lawn mower equipped with a two-stroke engine produces as many harmful substances in one hour as a car traveling 300 miles (482 kilometers), or almost the equivalent of ‘a round trip from Montreal to Quebec.
For leaf blowers, the situation is even worse: one hour of use is equivalent to a trip of 1,700 kilometers, the distance from Montreal to Nashville, Tennessee. We always talk here about everything that contributes to creating smog, and not just CO2.
CARB estimates that the approximately 15.4 million vehicles of this type present in California emit more air pollutants than the 14 million personal cars registered in the huge American state.
Would the abandonment of two-stroke engines therefore also make it possible to reduce Quebec’s GHG emissions in… two steps, three movements?
“California and Quebec share many things, but not temperature! There, the grass grows all year round and the mowers are used a lot,” highlights André Bélisle, president of the Quebec Association for the Fight against Atmospheric Pollution (AQLPA).
According to this veteran of the environmental struggle, stopping using this type of engine would still make it possible to achieve significant gains, both in terms of GHGs and public health. “We are making a mistake in separating the fight against GHGs from the fight against atmospheric pollutants. Especially since air pollution sends people to the hospital and cemetery every year,” he says.
According to Health Canada, 15,300 Canadians (including 4,000 Quebecers) die prematurely each year due to air pollution.
Legislation to build
With some of the strictest environmental rules on the continent, California was the first to legislate against gasoline-powered garden appliances. Since the beginning of 2024, the Golden State has required that new devices sold there be “zero emissions”, that is, run on electricity. This regulation will also apply to generators and pressure washers in 2028.
In Canada, the Vancouver city council unanimously adopted a motion in 2022 to phase out gasoline-powered garden equipment. The latest news was that the City was still studying the terms of application of this new regulation.
The AQLPA produced a brief in 2005 which notably recommended limiting the sale of two-stroke engines to off-road vehicles, but since that time, the issue has been far from being on the radar of politicians. And data on the issue is rare, deplores André Bélisle. “Governments have focused on vehicle fleet emissions and the industrial base. This is far from government priorities. However, we urgently need to limit GHG emissions; efforts must be made at all levels. »
On the Équiterre side, we recommend pushing the thinking on mowers beyond simple electrification.
“ [La] The first thing to aim for is reduction at source: the least polluting object that emits the least GHG is the one that we don’t need. There is therefore a broader reflection to be had on how we develop our lands and public spaces, but also on the need for certain behaviors or even certain aesthetic standards,” explains Anthony Côté Leduc, spokesperson for the environmental organization.
“A standard lawn cut by an electric mower will probably have less impact than one cut by a gasoline mower in the long term, but landscaping that includes food and honey plants and requires little or no maintenance with devices, whether electric or gasoline, is much more ecological. »
And you, how will you maintain your lawn this summer?