A red alert has been issued for several cities in northern China including Changchun and Harbin. A red alert is the highest level on the four-tiered alert system and is defined as serious air pollution for three consecutive days. According to Xinhuanet News, “the density of PM 2.5 — airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 microns in diameter,
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air pollution
Gains in air quality that would come from reducing greenhouse gas emissions could save up to three million lives per year by 2100, according to U.S. researchers.
Their findings, published in Nature Climate Change, come ahead of an important interim report by the Intergovernmental Panel
Beijing, home to some of the world’s worst air pollution and faced with increasing pressure from its citizens, is now considering levying a congestion charge to clamp down on air pollution and the traffic nightmares that continue to plague the capital city.
Auto emissions account for one-third of PM2.5 –
We know that pollution is bad for us, don’t we? And we guess that living in areas with high levels of pollution is probably not good for our health, but we need to live near our job, and populated areas offer more employment opportunity, recreational and cultural opportunities and other advantages. But at what cost? And what can we do to reduce the levels of
Occasionally I hear that the Chinese government is very concerned about keeping its huge population content – or at least sufficiently calm that the people don’t riot in the streets. I don’t really understand this, as the government hasn’t been particularly afraid of rounding up protesters and putting bullets through their heads.
Billowing smoke from illegal fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra engulfed Singapore last week, pushing air pollution to record levels for three consecutive days. The smoke, which is captured in a new NASA satellite image, has created an acrid blanket of smog across the region and historic levels of air pollution.
China’s passenger vehicle market is in the crosshairs of many U.S. companies with “green” automotive technology. The bus market is also getting a lot of attention. There hasn’t been much focus on efforts to make the medium and heavy-duty truck sector more environmentally friendly, however.
Nuclear Power Has Prevented 1.84 Million Premature Deaths, Study Says
written by Yale Environment 360
The use of nuclear power from 1971 to 2009 prevented more than 1.8 million premature deaths related to air pollution and 64 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, a new study says.
Using historical production data and estimates of mortality per unit of electricity generated, scientists
How often do we hear warnings for people with respiratory conditions to stay inside to avoid high levels of poor or toxic air in their communities? There are good reasons for those warnings. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sees how damaging these sky-high air pollutant levels can be and, as a result, are focusing more closely on urban air quality
The combustion of fossil fuels are a huge health hazard as to a recent United Nations report, 3.3 million people died from outdoor air pollution in 2010. An additional 3.5 million people die early annually from indoor air pollution.
I had noted in a previous Cleantechies article that air pollution has a massive financial toll of up to 102 and 169 billion euros annually. These figures let you wonder how much they would be if they were accounting the global sum…
As the World Health Organization notes, going for cleaner energy sources – ie. renewables – could easily halve the amounts of deaths by 2030.
If this six million people figure makes you wonder for comparison, please note that there were about 1.7 million AIDS-related deaths in 2011 and malaria killed about 660,000 people in 2010.
So if we are making efforts to eradicate those two illnesses we should do a whole lot more to combat fossil fuels pollution.
So on top of solving the climate crisis, going for energy efficiency and renewable energy sources would also improve everyone’s health. This is another win.
Staying addicted to coal, oil and gas is a lose lose lose situation while going for solar, wind, hydro and others is clearly a win win win…
What are we waiting for exactly?
Air Pollution Linked to 1.2 Million Chinese Deaths in 2010, Study Says
written by Yale Environment 360
Air pollution contributed to the premature deaths of more than 1.2 million people in China in 2010, or about 40 percent of early deaths worldwide caused by dirty air, according to a newly released analysis.
The findings, based on data from a study on the distribution and causes of death globally, categorized
High-Speed Trains Provide Broad Environmental, Social Benefits, Study Says
written by Yale Environment 360
Bullet trains fuel real-estate booms, improve quality of life, reduce air pollution and traffic congestion, and provide a “safety valve” for crowded cities, especially in the developing world, according to a study by Chinese and U.S. economists.
The study was based on China’s rapidly expanding high-speed rail network, but the researchers said the
China’s new premier, Li Keqiang, has vowed aggressive government action to curb the rampant pollution that has provoked growing public outrage, saying the country would phase out “backward production facilities” that have contributed to dangerous health conditions in numerous regions.
Hazardous Air Pollution in Beijing Triggers Online Call for Clean Air Act
written by Yale Environment 360
As Beijing residents continue to endure choking air pollution that far exceeds safe levels, an online poll has found overwhelming support for new clean air legislation.
Ten hours after real estate mogul Pan Shiyi posted the poll on the popular social media platform Sina Weibo, 99 percent of respondents — more than 32,000 people — agreed that the government should