Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
Los Angeles has been given the infamous, inglorious distinction of being labeled as the smog capital of the United States. Coupling injury with insult, it was in the early 1940s when the scourge first surfaced in the south-state region. The early 1940s! Though there are still dangerous smog episodes that crop up from time to … Read more
In its “State of the Air” 2024 report, the American Lung Association reported that 131 million Americans (39 percent) are exposed to harmful-to-health air pollution. At least four million of that total make California’s San Joaquin Valley their home. This demographic is exposed to, among other toxic pollutant emissions, carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen … Read more
GILLETTE, WY — The Biden administration announced today that it will end coal leasing in the Powder River Basin – the largest coal-producing region in the United States. The decision represents an historic shift in federal management of coal in the region, recognizing that the market has shifted away from coal as an electricity source … Read more
In cities and in rural areas, in red states and blue states, most residents want cleaner and more connected communities. Public transit — including trains, buses, and dial-a-ride services — and accessible walking and bike routes give us healthy, clean, and affordable ways for everyone to get where they need to go. But for too … Read more
Nowadays, considerable time and energy is devoted to combatting climate change and global warming directly — which is a good thing. At the same time, significant time and energy is spent on dealing with climate change/global warming fallout — and that isn’t. Making worse those matters, it has been known for some time now that … Read more
The American Lung Association’s new “State of the Air” report reveals that spikes in deadly particle pollution are the most severe they’ve been in the history of the report. According to the new report, people in the U.S. experienced the most days with “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” air quality due to particle pollution in 25 … Read more
A new Emory University study has found that adults exposed to high levels of air pollution were at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. In a study of 1,113 participants between the ages of 45-75 from the Emory Healthy Brain Study, all of whom were from the Atlanta metropolitan area, the researchers found positive biomarkers … Read more
WASHINGTON— A federal appeals court today upheld California’s longstanding waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which allows the state to set its own program of clean vehicle regulations. The court dismissed a suit brought by the oil and gas industry allied with corn ethanol and biodiesel growers and 17 Republican-led states. In March 2022 … Read more
STEINACH, Switzerland (March 19, 2024) – The 6th Annual World Air Quality Report reveals troubling details of the world’s most polluted countries, territories, and regions in 2023. For this year’s report, data from more than 30,000 air quality monitoring stations across 7,812 locations in 134 countries, territories, and regions were analyzed by IQAir’s air quality … Read more
WASHINGTON – Today, March 29, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced final national greenhouse gas pollution standards for heavy-duty vehicles, such as freight trucks and buses, for model years 2027 through 2032. The standards will avoid 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and provide $13 billion in annualized net benefits to society related to … Read more