Photo credit: Daniel Fink
by Daniel Fink, MD, Chair, The Quiet Coalition
This blog post is one of several about noise in Norway, based on my recent travels there. Norway, and I think more broadly Scandinavian countries, are ahead of the United States in environmental action. None of the hotels we stayed in had small plastic bottles of shampoo or individual bars of soap. All used larger containers of liquid soap at the sink, with containers of shampoo and conditioner in the showers. Some even used a combined liquid soap and shampoo. I’m not certain the combined product is best for the hair, but that’s what was available.
Another way Norway is ahead of the U.S. is in the electrification of heavy equipment. I already wrote about electric excavators, and today I am writing about electric tarmac equipment. While I was in my seat to fly from Oslo to Copenhagen, I noticed that the push-back tractor used to move the plane back from the gate was electric. It was manufactured by Kalmar Motor AB in Sweden, and comes in several models. The largest is capable of handling wide-body jets.
Compared to gaseous and particulate matter pollution from jet engines, the contribution of diesel-powered tarmac equipment must be de minimus. I was unable to find any specific information about this. I couldn’t tell from inside the terminal or inside the plane if the electric-powered push-back tractors were quieter than diesel equipment. The only ones who really need to worry about that are airport workers on the tarmac. Nonetheless, I assume electric equipment is quieter. And, electric-powered equipment contributes less to air pollution and climate change.
There’s no “magic bullet” to reducing noise and air pollution, but every little bit helps. I hope quieter, cleaner electric tarmac equipment can be used here in the U.S, too. A quieter, cleaner world will be a better and healthier world for all.
