The United Nations Climate Summit began Oct. 31 in Glasgow, Scotland, with leaders from across the globe meeting to discuss climate change. The yearly summit comes after yet another U.N. climate report warning about climate change. Once again world leaders come together to likely make lackluster progress and vague claims of plans for emission reductions.
I, for one, am fed up. It’s been obvious that relying on largely elderly and wealthy world leaders is no longer an option, and I think I have a solution to all of our problems –– ban gas-powered leaf blowers. I know what you’re thinking: Oh handsome opinion columnist, how does banning gas-powered leaf blowers help when 71% of carbon emissions are produced by the top 100 energy companies?
Well… it doesn’t –– not directly at least. But here’s my logic: 67% of Americans believe the federal government is not doing enough to reduce the effects of climate change, according to a 2018 PEW survey. So what’s the holdup? Why don’t our leaders make changes? There can be only one explanation: the awful noise of leaf blowers.
President Joe Biden is 78 years old, and the average age for senators is 63. Their hearing is definitely not what it used to be. News segments and briefings that contain dire warnings about the coming years echo through the White House and Capitol Building, likely on a daily basis. The only way they’re not hearing our pleas must be from leaf blowers outside, drowning them out.
I mean, how else do you explain the continued inaction? The U.N. climate report said we must cut greenhouse gas emissions in half over the next eight years. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that the world is at “code red” for temperature rise. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports, despite a slight drop in emissions due to the pandemic, “the concentration of greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere still hit its highest level ever recorded last year.” 
But we cannot blame this solely on our leaders; these leaf blowers are smart. Not only are they loud and (apparently) block old people from hearing, but they are secretly one of the biggest ways that the average American can pollute.
“Operating the best-selling commercial leaf blower for one hour of operation emits smog-forming pollution comparable to driving a 2017 Toyota Camry about 1,100 miles,” according to the California Air Resources Board.
When you really think about it, there aren’t a ton of benefits to using leaf blowers. They’re loud, smell bad and disrupt the natural system of leaves fertilizing the ground beneath them. Not to mention the early-morning wake-up call they give many. If one is really so inclined to move leaves, they can use a rake like the rest of us or at least invest in an electric blower.
Leaf blower bans are gaining popularity. Numerous cities in California, including Berkeley, Malibu and West Hollywood have already either banned gasoline-powered leaf blower use or restricted their noise level. Furthermore, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1346, which prohibits the sale of “new small off-road engines,” on Oct. 9. This ban will include many gas-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers and golf carts, and will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
Oregon had a similar bill proposed in 2019, House Bill 3350. This bill would have banned the use of two-cycle gasoline powered leaf blowers in the state, but it was shot down in the Oregon House. This was a mistake. Oregon must follow California’s lead and also ban the sale of these leaf blowers –– if not for the environment’s sake, then for all of our ears.