Some Questions about Delivering Packages by Drones

To the Editor:

I’m writing to respond to your article, “Delivering packages with drones might be good for the environment.”

I must agree with your take on how drones could have a beneficial effect on the environment. More than being a “cool” way to have our packages delivered right to our door, I believe there are many benefits to using electric drones, or any electric form of transportation as a means to replace machines that have a harmful impact on our environment.

However, after reading the section of your article about how using more drones to deliver packages would require bigger warehouses to be built, I can’t help but get stuck on that. Is the amount of carbon that would be kept from entering the environment from the reduction of machines offset the amount of carbon that would come from these warehouses? Lots of research and testing would need to be conducted before making such a drastic change in how deliveries are made, but I think the bigger picture needs to be looked at as well. As you mentioned, it is clear that small drones would be much healthier for the environment than delivery trucks are now, but another question comes to mind when we face the dilemma of large packages (too large for drones to carry?) that need to be delivered. Are drones still less harmful if they need to become bigger and stronger, thus using more energy or electricity?

I also agree with you that the implementation of delivery drones are really going to vary on location and the amount of existing carbon output that exists in various locations. For example, California is much more congested than Missouri, and as you mentioned in your article, the use of bigger drones was a drastically better option in California because of the higher amount of carbon there, but it used more resources in Missouri where there is much less carbon input. So the question needs to be asked whether or not delivery drones will be beneficial across the country, or in specific areas?

I learned from your article that an idea such as this one may sound great and have great benefits, but it’s important to fully research and understand an invention before fully implementing it into everyday life—especially when it comes to matters dealing with the environment. Nevertheless, I’m happy to know that there are other options than harmful machines being considered in-order to help our reduction of carbon. This is an important topic that needs to be discussed more often.

No matter how great of an idea using delivery drones would be, I think that it would need to be taken in strides. Overall, drones can be an incredibly beneficial product to the environment, and I only hope that more inventions like this continue to come to surface over the next few years. Even more so, I hope that such inventions become real enough for people to see the effects of environmental issues such as climate change diminish.

Chris Bernstein

Ramapo College

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