Air pollution impacts from warehousing in the United States uncovered with satellite data

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

7-24-2024

Journal

Nature communications

Volume

15

Issue

1

DOI

10.1038/s41467-024-50000-0

Abstract

Regulators, environmental advocates, and community groups in the United States (U.S.) are concerned about air pollution associated with the proliferating e-commerce and warehousing industries. Nationwide datasets of warehouse locations, traffic, and satellite observations of the traffic-related pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO) provide a unique capability to evaluate the air quality and environmental equity impacts of these geographically-dispersed emission sources. Here, we show that the nearly 150,000 warehouses in the U.S. worsen local traffic-related air pollution with an average near-warehouse NO enhancement of nearly 20% and are disproportionately located in marginalized and minoritized communities. Near-warehouse truck traffic and NO significantly increase as warehouse density and the number of warehouse loading docks and parking spaces increase. Increased satellite-observed NO near warehouses underscores the need for indirect source rules, incentives for replacing old trucks, and corporate commitments towards electrification. Future ground-based monitoring campaigns may help track impacts of individual or small clusters of facilities.

Department

Environmental and Occupational Health

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