Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
Number 4 in the Food Waste Disposal Series. “Food is the single largest component of solid waste in U.S. landfills, and about 25 percent of our nation’s fresh water is used to grow food that gets trashed,” declared the Natural Resources Defense Council in its “NRDC and Ad Council Launch New ‘Save the Food’ National … Read more
When the Air Quality Matters blog first was started – Nov. 5, 2012, President Barack Obama had just completed his very first term in office and was ready to embark on his second. Meanwhile, the country at this juncture had emerged – and I would add glowingly and stalwartly – from what has since become … Read more
When it comes to air-pollution-related analysis, the World Health Organization (WHO), regarding its most recent, has determined that the world over, 92 percent – or better than nine-in-ten – breathe polluted air. Details “A new WHO air quality model confirms that 92% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits,” … Read more
On Sept. 21, 2016, The Fresno Bee Editorial Board printed an op-ed, the crux of the editorial having to do with work in California and the San Joaquin Valley centered on helping “economically disadvantaged communities” better deal with the effects of poor area air quality. This was indeed a big part of the story. Brought … Read more
California is the nation’s undisputed leader in the effort to regulate and tackle global warming emissions. On Monday, Sept. 20, 2016, Governor Jerry Brown affixed his signature to California Senate Bill (SB) 1383 introduced by Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), this according to information in a California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board (ARB) press … Read more
High atop a parking garage in downtown Fresno, California Governor Jerry Brown on Wed., Sept. 14, 2016 affixed his signature to several bills thereby enacting legislation that allocates monies to fight warming and polluted air in the state. In the governor’s presence and bearing witness to the bills’ signature signings that day were (in no … Read more
On Aug. 16, 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a news release announced: “Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) jointly finalized standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that will improve fuel efficiency and cut carbon pollution, while bolstering energy security … Read more
Number 6 in the Sustainable Agricultural Practices Series. Researchers at Stanford University are working their magic: For example, turning inedible plant waste in conjunction with carbon dioxide into usable, sustainable plastic. Typically needed in the production of plastics and other products is petroleum. What makes this development so special and promising is that, by utilizing … Read more
Nearly 10 years have passed since California’s landmark 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act was enacted. Question is: Was this the right environmental cause to back? The reason for my asking is because in America’s most populous state with roughly 39 million residents, better than 1-in-2 live in areas where toxic air poses a serious threat. … Read more
Tell me. Are we any closer now to reaching consensus on the reason(s) behind our changing climate than what we were, say, prior to COP-21 – the climate conference held in Paris, France (from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11) last year? I certainly hope so because with consensus missing, the climate change issue remains divisive. Okay, … Read more