Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
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
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
With the spread of the UK and South African coronavirus variants to the U.S., with the concern over their being more contagious than the original strain, and with the disease-fighting anti-viral properties of the COVID vaccines believed to be less effective against the newer variant strains, less likely is the prospect of life getting back … Read more
The below Jan. 20, 2021 press release is from the Mineta Transportation Institute. According to a new report from the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI), Investing in California’s Transportation Future: Public Opinion on Critical Need, Californians want the state to invest in transportation systems that are safer, greener, and more efficient. “Respondents sent a crystal-clear message … Read more
The below Jan. 19, 2021 news release is from Kansas City Southern. Kansas City Southern … announced that it has submitted a commitment letter to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) pledging to set a science-based greenhouse gas emissions reduction target. KCS’ science-based target will align with what climate scientists say is needed to meet … Read more
How far society has come in so short a time I find remarkable. Just in my lifetime, astronauts have landed and walked on the moon. The computer has literally gone from filling up rooms in their entirety to being reduced to the size of a microchip, in some cases no bigger than a fingertip. And … Read more
The below Jan. 20, 2021 press release is from the Center for Biological Diversity. As President Joe Biden takes office today, his administration announced a series of steps aimed at combating the climate crisis and protecting wildlife from extinction. These include reentering the Paris Agreement, cancelling the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, and imposing … Read more
I understand that in the world there are some 1 billion motorized vehicles. That may sound like a lot but what it works out to on average is 1 vehicle for every 7 people essentially. In the United States, on the other hand, the ratio is a lot tighter. On average, that’s roughly 1 motor … Read more
As reported in a ScienceBlog post dated Jan. 7, 2021, in 2020, due to the lockdowns connected with the coronavirus pandemic, this caused emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to drop by seven percent. The dip is temporary as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are expected to bounce back to 2019 levels when the economy … Read more