Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a view is worth a thousand pictures, handily! And, what does this all have to do with, exactly?! Quality is what we’re talking about and what the implications of view and view quality are on quality of air. And, that’s it? That’s it. So, what are … Read more
So a check of the fine particulate matter in Central Fresno on the evening of Jul. 4, 2020 indicates microscopic specks of soot, chemicals and liquid droplets in air measured 150 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) at 10 p.m. corresponding to a ROAR (Real-time Outdoor Activity Risk) Level 5 reading – meaning Very Unhealthy air. … Read more
This June 16th marks five years since construction on California’s statewide high-speed rail program first began. There are now 4,000 laborers doing bullet-train-related building work in the Golden State’s Central Valley at over three dozen sites. That level of commitment notwithstanding, there are those who think that they know what’s best regarding where yet-unspent dedicated … Read more
There is just no way to know what way the air-quality pendulum will swing for California’s San Joaquin Valley (or simply, “the Valley”) post-COVID-19, well, not at this juncture, anyway. But, by looking at air-quality trends of the past this could provide a clue. So, two points of reference: 2005, prior to the onset of … Read more
So, let’s explore this idea some more. Part 1 can be read here. Speaking of which, in the earlier installment it was duly pointed out that sold in the U.S. each year are approximately 17 million new cars with at least 850,000 of those, or five percent, being of the zero-emissions-vehicle variety. Post-pandemic, will that … Read more
It’s been amazing! Around-the-world reports have been pouring in about how clean air in many parts of the world has become. Countrywide lockdowns and stay-at-home/shelter-in-place orders instituted during the COVID-19 outbreak have led to tremendous reductions in not just driving, but public transit use, shipping (on navigable waters) and flying. All of them combined having … Read more
If you thought air in the United States was dirtier than it’s been at any other time in the country’s recorded history, that is, before the Corona Virus outbreak, then this wasn’t your imagination running wild. The point is this is fact! And, if you believed the air in nine cities in the west experienced … Read more
In California’s expansive and agriculturally conducive San Joaquin Valley, encompassing eight counties in all, one-in-five children is an asthmatic. According to the California High-Speed Rail Authority highlighting childhood health and freight and passenger train transport and travel in a media release expresses that in the Valley the childhood asthma rate is better than double the … Read more
The Trump administration finalized a major rollback of fuel-efficiency standards for automobiles today. The revised standards will maintain dangerous levels of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and cost consumers more at the gas pump without making the nation’s roads safer. The administration’s final Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles rule, or so-called “SAFE” rule, is a … Read more
The world Corona Virus Disease – 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is a disruption of major proportions to which there is no equal, not in this century, anyway. This infection has the potential to develop into one of the worst health crises because, at this moment in time, the disease continues to spread and there is still … Read more