4 Health and Environmental Advantages of Bicycling

– Air Pollution Reduction. Changing our negative behaviors will get us closer to living a more environmentally friendly life.

– There were no nonrenewable fuels used.

– No more overcrowding or parking issues.

– Personal Health Improvement

Why is bicycling better for the environment than driving?

Cars release a lot of CO2, which is the major driver of global warming. Biking more and driving less contributes to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Biking minimizes the number of automobiles on the road and the noise they make. This, in turn, minimizes noise pollution for those who live near major highways.

Bicycles are good for the environment. While it is true that building a bicycle frame and wheels requires energy, the energy required to make the most demanding bicycle – a carbon fiber frame – is little when compared to the energy required to produce a car.

How much can cycling contribute to the battle against climate change?

“We discovered that people who convert only one trip per day from automobile driving to cycling lower their carbon footprint by roughly 0.5 tonnes over a year, representing a large fraction of average per capita CO2 emissions,” said lead researcher Dr Christian Brand of the University of Oxford.

Riding a bicycle reduces carbon emissions — According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a car travelling 12,500 miles per year emits 11,450 pounds of carbon dioxide. For every mile driven, roughly one pound of carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas responsible for CO2 causing global warming, is emitted.