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Comment by ip26 | Hacker News Reader

... Although now I'm reminded of the bit I read recently that noted in thirty minutes a two-stroke leaf blower emits as much CO & NOx pollution as driving an F-150 3,800 miles.

https://www.citylab.com/life/2016/11/the-case-against-neighb...

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CO and NOx are a larger immediate health issue (see: EU cities struggling with widespread adoption of dirtier diesel cars) but a lesser issue in the long term than greenhouse gas (CO2) induced warming.

I bring this up because it's a fascinating trade-off when it comes to diesels, where increased NOx emission can reduce CO2 emission substantially (through improved combustion temperatures leading to lower fuel burn) - the exact tradeoff VW were illegally making in their "cheating" diesel cars.

Possibly, as two stroke burns oil intentionally. But the actual volume of carbon dioxide emissions is a function of the volume of fuel consumed. A small handheld tool won’t use much fuel compared to the (napkin math) 500 liters of petroleum in the vehicle.

Note that he said CO not CO2. Carbon monoxide is produced from incomplete combustion, which two stroke engines are notorious for. Leaf blowers lacking catalytic converters (which as the name suggests, catalyze the conversion of incomplete combustion byproducts like CO) only make this worse.

Yeah, this is still momentous news. As with targeting gas-guzzlers twenty years ago, it's not eco-sexy like a 100MPG Prius, but the F-150 model probably produces more carbon dioxide than any other passenger vehicle in the US, maybe in the world.

>it's not eco-sexy like a 100MPG Prius

Oh HN.

Oh honey.

Two stroke engines are notoriously dirty. Over the past couple of decades, cars have become a lot cleaner due to all the regulations, but two stroke engines (also popular in mopeds) produce disproportionate pollution now.

I used to ride a 2 stroke motorbike to school. It emitted more CO and NOx than an SUV. Upon saying that, SUVs still (obviously) emit more CO2 than 2 banger bikes. And the biggest polluter is still cargo ships with their massive 2 stroke engines burning high-sulfur, heavy fuel oil.

I'm not sure about the USA, but at least in Australia 2 strokes aren't very common at all these days. I don't remember the last time I saw a 2 stroke lawnmower or any other type of garden tool. Electric is probably more popular than petrol for home use, as it doesn't require you to keep a little tank of petrol lying around and it's a lot quieter.

Gas tools are still pretty popular. Most lawn services use exclusively gas 2 strokes. Leaf blowers, weed eaters, and edgers. Most lawnmowers aren’t 2 stroke.

If you drove a 2 stoke dirt bike around people will call the police and complain about noise. I know from my teenager years.

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