Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
“‘We can no longer afford to consider air and water common property, free to be abused by anyone,’” espoused a determined Richard Nixon in one of his presidential speeches as conveyed in America Revealed, Episode 3: “ELECTRIC NATION,” a 2012 Public Broadcasting System presentation. Question is: In hindsight, could air (and water) afford such a … Read more
Consumers. People are consumers. That’s what we do. Consume. And consumption at its essence is no better typified than in the home. It was expressed in America Revealed, Episode 3, “ELECTRIC NATION,” a 2012 Public Broadcasting System broadcast, that in America in the typical home, on average, can be found 26 different electronic devices. Everything from washers, … Read more
Given the global energy picture, there is continued strong emphasis on fossil fuel use, in the transport sector especially, as its reliance on such is extremely heavy.1 It was this startling piece of information, though, from the Nov. 2011 International Union of Railways (UIC) report High Speed Rail and Sustainability that caught my eye. The … Read more
In more recent times I have become more curious. I have pondered the question of what becomes of air pollutants over time. If not inhaled and absorbed into the lungs, blood or heart, or are in some way breached, what happens to air contaminants? Groundbreaking work The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) – a part … Read more
Over the centuries, ways have been found to put energy to work and as long as creative thinking never ceases, work on finding new ways to put energy to work will continue. Figured out have been methods to harness the power of the sun, wind, water and geothermal steam. Consider also the addition of the seemingly limitless supply of … Read more
At the end of “Cutting-edge transportation: Effective emissions-reductions approaches,” in closing, I wrote: “With that said, transit might just be the best thing going when it comes to mitigating negative environmental impact.” Well, time has come to expound upon that thought. For starters it is helpful to clarify “negative environmental impact.” In the context of … Read more
Energy-wise, can we get more from what is currently available? Certainly we can! As consumers, in order for this to happen, though, per-capita consumption must be less. When per-capita consumption is less, then whatever energy is produced is able to go farther. During summer months when temperatures climb, energy use can go through the roof. … Read more
According to Los Angeles Times correspondent Catherine Saillant in “Air quality agency issues Southland no-burn alert,” the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) on Saturday, Nov. 24th issued its “first-ever no-burn alert” in the L.A. air basin, all because of an expected wintertime weather pattern. “It’s part of a new program adopted by the South … Read more
California has the nation’s worst air. That fact should be an eye-opener. Moreover, knowing this, serious effort should be prompted to clean it up. More on this in a moment. My position is: since the majority of pollutants come from transportation, that sector should be getting anything but short shrift when it comes to finding … Read more
A colleague and I go around and around over what type of transportation system is better at reducing emissions. In the automotive realm, indeed significant strides have been made. There are battery powered cars and hybrids already sharing space with other less-environmentally friendly types on the road. In the grand scheme of things, however, if there … Read more