Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
The below Nov. 20, 2022 press release is from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 closed today with a breakthrough agreement to provide “loss and damage” funding for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters. “This outcome moves us forward,” said Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change … Read more
The below Oct. 27, 2022 press release is from the United Nations Environment Programme.* As intensifying climate impacts across the globe hammer home the message that greenhouse gas emissions must fall rapidly, a new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report finds that the international community is still falling far short of the Paris [Agreement] goals, with … Read more
According to United Nations Environment Programme data nine in 10 people in the world are affected by harmful air. A sobering thought if ever there was one. If there is a bright side here it is this: That number could be higher; thankfully it’s not! But, that doesn’t mean the extent of harmful air couldn’t … Read more
The United States emits something on the order of 14 percent of all global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human-influenced causes. Suffice it to say humans are responsible for 50 billion tons (50 gigatons or Gt) of GHGs that enter the atmosphere yearly, America’s GHG contribution being approximately 7 Gt annually. Meanwhile, in California, in … Read more
The below Jul. 19, 2022 press release is from the Environmental Defense Fund.* Clean hydrogen is increasingly seen by governments and industry as the Holy Grail of climate-friendly energy solutions, with vast sums flowing into this emerging sector. But a new study warns that hydrogen is a leak-prone gas with a potent warming effect that … Read more
The three most talked about topics in the current news cycle are: weather; public health and/or public safety; and the economy. These topics can be further divided into sub-categories: Floods, droughts and heat for weather; reproductive rights, and COVID-19 and the monkey pox viruses related to public health and/or public safety; and where the economy … Read more
Everyone and their sibling in the field of climate science it seems having anything and everything to do with searching for the end all, be all with regard to course-correcting, anthropogenically-prompted global warming and climate change, is looking for that one silver bullet. As far as I know, no one has yet to find this … Read more
So, I’ve been paying very close attention to the travel news and, in particular, that part dealing with statistics and here is what I’ve learned: For travel this weekend connected with the Independence Day holiday, Americans traveling out-of-town number 48 million; those hitting the roadways journeying 50 or more miles, 42 million or 87.5 percent; … Read more
My sense is that universal electric-motor-vehicle-operation acceptance by every driver driving American roadways, based on the present rate of EV adoption, will happen. It’s only a matter of time. What I am less confident of, on the other hand, are two things. First is regarding the technology type – battery- or fuel-cell- electrification and second … Read more
Have you noticed? In the United States there is a push toward more use of electricity to power our lives. I, for one, have. We see the impact of that in and around the home, on the road and even at the utility-scale level. What this means is there has been increased reliance on electric … Read more