Don’t idle your engine, EVER!
Of all the actions that could reduce emissions and help prevent the worst of climate change, surely there is none easier than this one simple habit: don’t idle your engine, EVER.
Alas, you only need to look around most parking lots to see that ‘the idling disease’ continues to flourish. So here are five good reasons that I hope can help cure it!
- It’s better for your engine: according to JD Power (those same folks often cited in car and truck ads), “when cars are left running for extended periods of time, the idling causes premature wear… generally, the less amount of time left idling the better.” (The reasons for that wear: poor oil and coolant circulation; improper operating temperature; extra running of fans and pumps.)
- It’s better for your wallet: according to Natural Resources Canada, “if drivers of light-duty vehicles avoided idling by just three minutes a day, over the year Canadians would collectively save 630 million litres of fuel.” Assuming $1.40/litre, that’s nearly $900 million per year that could be spent on more important things in the midst of this affordability crisis. A medium-sized engine burns about $2.50 worth of fuel for every hour idled.
- It’s better for the planet: every litre of gasoline burned generates 2.3 KG of carbon dioxide, the main human-produced greenhouse gas; so every 40 litres you put into your gas tank will generate about 100 KG of emissions. (Plus add another 20-50% for the emissions generated by the extraction, refining and transportation of that gasoline.)
- It’s better for your lungs: one of the common excuses for idling is the need for air conditioning. But on anything less than the very hottest of days, why not first try rolling down a window or two, and enjoying free, healthy, fresh air instead of the sometimes-stinky stuff that blows out of your AC? Seeking a shady parking space helps too!
- It’s better for everyone else: perhaps you’ve noticed those ‘please don’t idle’ signs near ventilation intakes of buildings. The logic that exhaust fumes are harmful to the people inside the building also applies to the impacts on people outside the building, including yourself!
And here’s a quiz that dispels common myths about idling. (Perhaps the best rebuttal to the common belief that frequent restarting is bad for an engine is the fact that many new vehicles come equipped with stop-start technology that automatically turns off engines to reduce idling. Manufacturers wouldn’t offer the feature if they weren’t 100% confident about it; Natural Resources Canada suggests it can help drivers save 4-10% in city driving.)
So what to do?
- Idling more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than is required to restart an engine, so why not use that as your guide and turn off your engine if you’ll be stopped for more than 10 seconds? You can stretch it a bit if you’re uncomfortable about so short an interval, but there’s never a need to go beyond 60 seconds, not even in the coldest winter weather.
- If you’d like to be a gentle changemaker in your sphere of influence, why not put up a ‘Please don’t idle’ sign? They work! You can find numerous designs online or in some stores.
Together, let’s eradicate ‘the idling disease’ – because there’s no easier way to reduce emissions and save money!
In the news:
Not wasting any time: the CEOs of 38 fossil fuel companies lobby Prime Minister Mark Carney to abandon climate policies and open the floodgates to fossil fuel expansion.
From 2027 onward, every new home in the UK will have solar panels!
It took a while, but it looks like the Sunshine State is finally discovering the potential of… the sun (in spite of its pro-fossil-fuel governor)!
Quotable:
“Confronted with the probability of hell, they’re figuring out a way to sell air conditioners to the devil.”
- Bill McKibben, April 9, 2025, not mincing words about a Morgan Stanley report suggesting the cancelling of climate action in the US means there’s more money to be made in air conditioning.