Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
The other day (Feb. 7, 2014), I posted: “Annual per-capita California driving 1.5 times the national average.” So, to recap: In California: Annual average per-capita miles driven – 13,636 Number of licensed drivers – 22 million Number of registered vehicles – 27.5 million Annual average fuel consumption – 681.81 gallons Average vehicle fuel economy rating … Read more
Californians love their cars. So, how do I know this? Well, depending upon source referenced, in the Golden State there is anywhere between 27.5 million and 32 million registered motor vehicles. Even at the more conservative of the two numbers, that’s a minimum of 1.25 statewide registered cars and light-duty trucks for every licensed in-state … Read more
If I were to tell you that an automobile manufacturing mogul and a leading auto-membership-association executive both touted personal mobility and public transportation use, what would you think? Would not such a notion seem incredulous? I don’t know about you but, in my view, it would. Here’s what I’m getting at. At DC.Streetsblog.org, Angie Schmitt provides the … Read more
About a year from now, an upgraded, vastly expanded and improved Panama Canal will open its gates. Making their way through the canal itself will be eastward- and westward-traveling ships once this happens – not unlike what is transpiring presently. A key difference, however, will be in regard to ship size and numbers. Presumably, the numbers … Read more
It is already a week into the new year and since Jan. 1st, there is no single day in the San Joaquin Valley (Valley) air basin on the Valley floor itself completely devoid of an exceedance of particulate matter pollution 2.5 micrometers or smaller – also referred to as PM 2.5. Looking at data (in … Read more
The divide between the number of cars and trucks with reduced or no emissions available and the number of cars and trucks with reduced or no emissions actually on American roads, appears to be narrowing. Not only this, but, greater is average internal-combustion-engine-vehicle-fuel-economy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a Dec. 12, 2013 news release … Read more
Bluer skies, greener grass One thing we humans can’t seem to divorce ourselves from is waste. It would be nice if we could. And that there is waste, there must be places to put it. The air shouldn’t be one of those, yet, it is, unfortunately. To lessen waste’s impact, there could be less of … Read more
On matters of air quality, it has been an interesting year and in a few ways a bewildering one too. By far this year’s big story is the toll on health polluted air has taken. And perhaps the biggest revelation connected with this is that air pollution is now on the world’s top-10-killers list and … Read more
Air Quality Matters blog was introduced on Nov. 5, 2012 with: “Smog more than an eyesore – it’s a wake-up call,” the focus of which was San Joaquin Valley, California, air pollution – and, most notably, smog. One poignant comment I made was: “Why the discoloration in the air isn’t more alarming to more people … Read more
We just got through a cold snap. Where I live, the overnight temperatures dipped down into the mid-to-upper 20s. Daytime highs, meanwhile, were in the 50s and, on some days, the 60s even. Next week, however, it’s a different story: daytime temps are expected to reach 70 degrees and this is for mid-December?! As temperatures … Read more