Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
The Amazon is burning. The fire is of staggering proportions and was deliberately set. Irreplaceable rainforest land being cleared for, what, so it can be farmed, developed?! Seventy-five thousand: The number of Brazilian fires this year alone! Seven-thousand-two-hundred: Nearly that many square miles (more than 4.6 million acres) burned this year so far. Add to … Read more
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
Transportation in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions could be well on its way to becoming less air-polluting. This could be the greatest thing since sliced bread. An effort dubbed “Our Transportation Future” (OTF), the organizing enterprise showing its support, issued a multi-agency signed letter dated July 29, 2019, addressed to the governors of 12 East … Read more
As it has to do with mobility, there has been much in the media in recent days and with good reason. Here in America, not only is the number of miles traveled up, but so too is the trend: it appears to be non-stop. Effectively, the more people the more aggregate miles there are, whether … Read more
Today there’s automobility. What’s next (on the land-transportation-operations horizon), full autonomobility, that is, driverless control? On the surface, that notion sounds quite oxymoronic. At any rate, we’ll just have to wait and see. When the Hawaii Area Rapid Transit’s HART light rail system comes online, that time projected to be a little more than a … Read more
Wildland fires last year proved to be disastrous for California in terms of not only the amount of acreage charred and the number of lives impacted but of the associated monetary cost as it has to do with property loss. It has been suggested that because of global warming, the state has become more susceptible … Read more
It has been the long-held dream of many an ordinary citizen I’m sure, to add space travel to their bucket lists. Well, that reality, made possible for those inclined enough to venture beyond the wild blue yonder, may be just around the corner. All well and good, except for one minor detail: The introduction of … Read more
I just recently read – somewhere – America’s air has worsened, in fact, there is 15 percent more pollution in it (I am assuming volumetric-wise), than there was, say, just a few years back. That’s not a good sign. After years, even decades, of encouraging air trends, to some, this news may come as a … Read more
Represented by the environmental organization Earthjustice, the Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity filed suit in court in an effort to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fulfill its obligations to protect affected communities from unhealthful levels of ozone smog. Affected cities, regions and states, according to Earthjustice in its May 7, … Read more
The below press release dated Jun. 5, 2019 is from UN Environment. Governments, industry, communities and individuals around the world today commemorated World Environment Day, the United Nations’ biggest annual event for positive environmental action, encouraging worldwide awareness and commitment to protect our planet. This year’s celebrations, held under the theme ‘Beat Air Pollution’, called … Read more