CES Whispers Tech's Clean Air Promise
23 January 2024 • Article Summary
The Conversation: Can technology clean up our air? An atmospheric scientist got a glimpse of the future
A CES trek revealed tech's air quality ambitions, but not without caveats. Sensor boom fizzled, leaving air filtration as the star product, albeit a basic one. VOCs, indoor pollution's elusive foe, lack convincing fixes.
The real air quality game-changer? Electrification. Ditching fossil fuels for heat pumps, solar, and electric vehicles promises dramatic air improvements. Hydrogen, though more visible, faces green supply challenges.
Even autonomous driving, that distant dream, hints at air benefits by smoothing out traffic and reducing polluting stop-start maneuvers. Drones and electric taxis, futuristic whispers, could further displace polluting vehicles.