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

Authors

Gaige Hunter Kerr, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA. gaigekerr@gwu.edu.
Michelle Meyer, International Council on Clean Transportation, Washington, DC, USA.
Daniel L. Goldberg, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
Joshua Miller, International Council on Clean Transportation, Washington, DC, USA.
Susan C. Anenberg, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.

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.

APA Citation

Kerr, Gaige Hunter; Meyer, Michelle; Goldberg, Daniel L.; Miller, Joshua; and Anenberg, Susan C., "Air pollution impacts from warehousing in the United States uncovered with satellite data" (2024). GW Authored Works. Paper 5232.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/5232

Department

Environmental and Occupational Health