Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
“’California’s GHG emissions have followed a declining trend since 2007,’ the California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board (ARB) emphasized in the Overview section of ‘California Greenhouse Gas Emissions for 2000 to 2015 – Trends of Emissions and Other Indicators,’ an adjunct or supplement to its ‘2017 Edition California GHG Emission Inventory’ document. ‘In 2015, … Read more
In its “Dramatic MBM Agreement and Solid Global Plan Endorsements Help Deliver Landmark ICAO 38th Assembly” Oct. 4, 2013 press release, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) announced: “ICAO’s States agreed to report back in 2016 with a proposal for a global MBM [Market-Based Measures] scheme capable of being implemented by 2020. Major efforts will … Read more
Ever think about things that impact our lives? And, why does this matter? Where I’m going with this is: decisions we make in life can also impact the environment. It is this that this thread, today’s thread, has to do with. Setting the tone is this idea of three specific areas of living and how … Read more
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
Continuing along the lines of the discussion of Tuesday’s post: “U-turn: Our driving profile, on taking the eco-smart road and what that will take,” in today’s thread, considered is where transportation is headed generally. Encouraging signs there are. Exciting times are these. The change in transportation development is coming absent my directly noticing it. What … Read more
Number 7 in the Sustainable Agricultural Practices Series. The place where food is grown – the farm – is not a place one typically thinks of when thinking of entities adopting sustainability practices. But, more and more, agriculture is, in fact, getting with that program. In this installment we take a look1 at two potato … Read more
It was only a matter of time that incandescent lights would one day meet their replacements – that’s replacements with an “s”. That “one day” is today. Credit the change to technological advancement and innovation. Light-emitting-diode (LED) and fluorescent lamps have rendered incandescents practically obsolete. Why? The LEDs are roughly 10 times more energy efficient … Read more
With reference to California high-speed-rail- versus typical road-work, there really is no comparison. The difference, to put it succinctly, is like night and day. So, what makes the former so different? What makes California-high-speed-rail-construction stand alone is the cleanliness or should I say “air-friendliness” of related operations. The building of the California high-speed rail system … Read more
On Dec. 16, 2017, less than a month away, California high-speed rail construction work will have reached the two-and-a-half-year mark. This is the first major “from-scratch” intercity, heavy-rail, railroad-building effort begun in the Golden State since Southern Pacific’s Colton Cutoff (to Palmdale) line was completed in 1967 and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system … Read more
Back on March 10, 2016, on the Air Quality Matters blog this article: “SoCal-based air district sued. Violations of NOx RECLAIM program alleged,” was posted. Now, an important update to this story. Story update The Earthjustice organization on Nov. 8, 2017 issued the “Southern California Court Rules Against Air Board’s Decision to Adopt Weak Amendments … Read more