ENVIRONMENT: In E-Bike Against Global Warming

The pedal-assisted bike is considered one of the most ecological means of transportation in the world, the benefits of which include, among many others, an almost non-existent environmental impact.

In light of recent events and new policies against global warming, here is how the use of an e-bike for daily commuting can contribute positively to environment protection.

In a special report released on the8th October 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) determined the maximum threshold of the average temperature on the earth's surface at +1.5°. The scientific community is today unanimous in recognizing the urgent and imperative need to reduce CO2 emissions by 40% by 2040.

An increase in the average temperature will have a devastating impact on the ecosystem, biodiversity, food safety, health, as well as a dramatic increase in sea levels and an increase in extreme climatic events, as we have already seen with the flooding in Venezia and the fires in Australia.

Among the many actions taken by countries that have joined the Paris Agreement of the United Nations, investments in alternative mobility are increasingly important.

To encourage the use of two wheels (bicycles, ebikes, scooters) for daily movements, the Emilia Romagna region has allocated 10 million euros in 2018, with the intent to develop a network of 135 km of new cycling paths from Piacenza to Rimini. Recently, Turin has made available 4,000 electric scooters and 2,000 electric bicycles to reduce urban traffic.

Why prefer an e-bike over a car?

The use of a pedal-assisted bike for daily commutes is the most obvious solution to reduce the environmental impact, the congestion of urban traffic and make the journey from home to work more pleasant.

A pedal-assisted bicycle has many other advantages in terms of respect for the environment. For example, it does not produce any acoustic pollution, "consumes" only a small amount of public space: once parked, a bicycle occupies a maximum of 2m², while a car occupies about 10m². Finally, overall a cyclist consumes about five times less space than a car driver.