Greenhouse gases overall dip in California; and then there’s transportation

Fortunately, the news is mostly good: Greenhouse gas emissions in California fell. Transportation is one trouble spot, however – the main one. Speaking directly to this, on Aug. 12, 2019, the California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board (ARB) released its California Greenhouse Gas Emissions for 2000 to 2017: Trends of Emissions and Other Indicators … Read more

At long last, a curbing-air-pollutant-emissions-and-greenhouse-gases focus

For the longest time, it has seemed like, air pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases were thought of in different contexts. Air pollution is thought of as being associated with poisons (toxic chemicals, toxicants or chemical pollutants) and haze in – or discoloration of – the air and poor – and damage to – health, hospitalizations and … Read more

Buildings, carbon neutrality, a changing climate and one European response

So, I wanted to get a feel for what the tenor toward climate change in the European Union (EU) is. Important and integral to the discussion on climate change and global warming are not just the terms greenhouse gas and the greenhouse effect but when it was that those terms were first introduced into the … Read more

Will railroad, neighbor settle diesel-emissions-related dispute? Time will tell

There is a to-do astir, a dust-up if you prefer, in Pennsylvania’s Kutztown borough. It mostly has to do with one resident’s complaint directed at the neighbor, in this case, that neighbor being a railroad company, a section of whose track(s) lies in relative close proximity to the home the seemingly perturbed resident resides in. … Read more

CATS: Tram to operate sans overhead wires; is almost fully recyclable at end of life

Number 38 in the Clean Air Technologies Series. Electric motors are used extensively. They’re in everything from electric drills and shavers to lawnmowers and buses, cars and trains. The sky is the limit. That these are used in the railway realm is nothing new. What is new, on the other hand, is the way in … Read more

Home breathing environment: Recirculated air

To recirculate or not is the question. There has been some discussion in the news as of late about the riding environment inside the automobile and how placing the atmospheric control to the “recirculate” setting, can result in marked improvement in interior air quality (when windows are in the fully closed position) compared to switching … Read more

More on why what mode, route chosen for commuting matters

Every now and then, the air-quality value of bicycle versus car commuting is called into question. Such is the case in today’s thread. In fact, the California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board (ARB) in its “Study: Commuters’ exposures to air pollution greatly depends on mode of travel: Sacramento area study shows light rail commuters … Read more

Study analyzes pollution’s effect on daily commute

The way in which one commutes can make a real difference in terms of what one’s exposure to in-transit or during-the-commute pollution is. A related study conducted in Sacramento, California recently has been undertaken in order to learn more. On this, the California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board (ARB) in its “Study: Commuters’ exposures … Read more

The thing about Valley smog, the ‘muck’ stops here

Oppressive is how San Joaquin Valley, California summertime heat can be. Temps of 104, 105, 106, 107 and higher aren’t uncommon. Heat as high as that becomes more than a bit uncomfortable and gets old rather fast the longer those triple-digit temperatures hang around. When that happens, talk about such in these here parts seems … Read more

Air conditioning refresher: Proper system operation – key

Air conditioning: an ingenious invention – an almost indispensable addition to the home, that is, where appliances are concerned. Whether inside or outside the domicile (and automobile too, if you want to get real about this), being able to take air and “condition” it so as to provide one a level of comfort, most especially … Read more