Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
It could otherwise be called the race to net-zero or net-negative airborne emissions of carbon/carbon dioxide (C/CO2), specifically the part or amount put there by us. The idea behind achieving baseline or below-baseline atmospheric C/CO2 that’s been anthropogenically introduced through fossil fuel-burning activities, experts are telling us, is to restore balance or equilibrium to the … Read more
Train travel – there is nothing else on Earth quite like it! I experienced such beginning at an early age, at either 11 or 12, more than likely 11, traveling on the then Pennsylvania Railroad between my at-the-time hometown of Baltimore, Maryland and New York City in 1964 or 1965, more than likely 1964, to … Read more
I see these advertisements for air fresheners. Never used one nor do I ever intend to. But, by their very being, it is suggestive that the air within interior spaces, particularly in automobiles and trucks, can get a bit stale and/or musty-smelling. Though relatively inexpensive, the question is: Do air fresheners go far enough, meaning, … Read more
In April, presumably, when the American Lung Association releases its annual “State of the Air” report (the first one issued in 2000), my expectation is that for fine particulate matter pollution (PM 2.5) averaged over 24 hours and PM 2.5 recorded on an annual basis, the major cities in California’s heartland, the expansive, sprawling San … Read more
The U.S. has officially re-entered the Paris Climate Accord. Looking back to early 2016 at the time the agreement was ratified, an aim was to keep Earth’s mean surface temperature from rising 2 degrees Celsius [C] above what it was at the 19th century’s doorstep, the understanding here, of course, being that if kept to … Read more
Jakarta, Indonesia, 18 February – PM2.5 air pollution was behind approximately 160,000 deaths in the world’s five most populous cities in 2020, according to a Greenpeace Southeast Asia analysis of IQAir data from a live Cost Estimator.1,2 While some cities saw small improvements in air quality as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns, the devastating impact of air pollution underscores … Read more
Extra-orbital space travel – only a handful of persons can ever say they’ve done that. A few more can lay claim to flying in sub-orbital aircraft at faster-than-sound speeds. So given the numbers that have a fascination with this sort of thing, the expectation is reasonable that if supersonic (or close to it) evacuated or … Read more
So often, the question comes up in cities looking to make improvements in their public transit service offerings and systems regarding what type of service and system is best suited to meet the majority or mass-public need. Services and systems suggested often run the gamut, after which a thorough review and narrowing of selections are … Read more
Every person and their brother, or so it would seem, has ideas for how they think carbon net-zero emissions can be achieved. Even Microsoft founding partner Bill Gates has gotten involved. In fact, he weighs in on the matter in a new book. One approach involves pulling carbon out of the atmosphere and using it … Read more
The below Feb. 15, 2021 news release is from the University of California, Riverside. A new study finds that California’s commuters are likely inhaling chemicals at levels that increase the risk for cancer and birth defects. As with most chemicals, the poison is in the amount. Under a certain threshold of exposure, even known carcinogens … Read more