Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
Experts have declared 2024 the hottest year on record and for the first time in recorded history, the average temperature of air at the Earth’s surface had gone above 1.5 degrees Celsius, the rise being 1.5 degrees C higher than what was present average-surface-air-temperature-wise at the time the Industrial Revolution took effect in 1750. I … Read more
Okay, so how can less waste be generated? Here I consider three types: compostable, recyclable and food. I’ll talk about food first. Food waste The way I cut down on my food waste is by consuming older food items first. Very little food gets uneaten that way. Take bananas, for example. These can get ripe … Read more
On Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, I received an information mailing (by any other name a circular or flyer) from the City of Fresno having to do with holiday waste disposal. It’s dated December 2024. In Fresno, recycling is, apparently, a big deal; the matter the City no doubt takes very seriously. As far as I’m … Read more
The United States generates more food waste than all but two countries. To address this, the federal government set a goal to cut food waste in half by 2030 compared to 2016 levels, to about 164 pounds per person annually. But a new study published in Nature Food and led by University of California, Davis, … Read more
The weighted results show that only 1% indicate they will return to a petrol or diesel car, and 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car tomorrow. “These results confirm that EV drivers are highly satisfied with their choice, and that reports of declining EV popularity are greatly … Read more
Albany – Today [Dec. 26, 2024], Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Climate Change Superfund Act (S.2129/A.3351), nation-leading legislation that will use the polluter-pays model exemplified by existing federal and state superfund laws to collect $75 billion over twenty-five years for climate change adaptation from the parties most responsible for causing the climate crisis – big … Read more
The Valley Air District took action today [Dec. 19, 2024] to accept over $8.9 million in additional U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) funding to deploy 26 zero-emission, battery-electric Class 6 and 7 trucks and associated charging infrastructure. “Grant funds such as these highlight the District’s commitment to supporting Valley businesses and agencies in the … Read more
WASHINGTON – Today [Dec. 18, 2024], the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is granting two requests from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for waivers to implement and enforce its Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulations for light-duty vehicles, and its “Omnibus” low-NOx regulation for heavy-duty highway and off-road vehicles and engines. Under the … Read more
Marathon Petroleum, Vistra Energy, Standard Industries and Dow are among the nation’s largest corporate polluters, according to updated data released today by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute (PERI). “The Greenhouse 100 and Toxic 100 indexes inform consumers, shareholders, regulators, lawmakers and communities about corporate releases of toxic and climate-altering … Read more
The social cost of carbon — an important figure that global policymakers use to analyze the benefits of climate and energy policies — is too low, according to a study led by the University of California, Davis. The study, published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), shows that current … Read more