2021 Brought Promise for Clean Air
This holiday season, the legacy of last year’s “Christmas gifts” from the outgoing Trump EPA is still very much alive.
This holiday season, the legacy of last year’s “Christmas gifts” from the outgoing Trump EPA is still very much alive.
Researchers at Northwestern University say increasing the number of electric cars on the road and increasing the amount of renewable energy could save the US $70 billion a year.
Clean trucks such as the Tesla Semi are needed now more than ever. According to Popular Mechanics, in 2016, there were at least 2.8 million semi trucks registered in the US. Paul Billings from the American Lung Association told The New York Times, “Trucks remain a major source of pollution that creates smog, and smog is linked with coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and can cause asthma and premature death.”
Delhi, India, is one of the world’s top cities for air pollution. In fact, a research study found that fine particulate matter air pollution there contributed to almost 15,000 premature deaths in 2016. Particulate matter has been linked to premature death, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and respiratory diseases.
A report from the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health finds that young people are most at risk for impaired physical and mental health as a result of air pollution. If we won’t protect our planet, can we at least protect our kids?
The latest US midterm is over — or nearly over — and Democratic candidates had a record wave of support from voters, but there’s still plenty of misunderstanding to clear up. We’ve gone through decades of misinformation campaigns, gaslighting, and political dystrophy. One blue wave doesn’t mean we’ve got everything in order.
One topic I was recently inspired to address is a simple one, but one that seems to skate under the radar of public consciousness.
The state of Colorado recently passed a low-emission vehicle (LEV) standard to start with the 2022 vehicle model year. Jeremy Neustifter, an air quality planner with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, answered some questions about this for CleanTechnica.
As you know, Los Angeles has the worst air in the nation. It’s gotten a lot better, but until all diesel vehicles are in the scrapyard, among other things, we’re still at risk.
I jest, but when a moderator joked that someone had suggested California, Oregon, and Washington secede and become a separate country, everyone had a good, happy laugh. The topic of this year’s LABC Sustainability Summit was: Regional Solutions for an Inclusive, Clean Economy. By inclusive, I thought they meant inclusive of all income brackets.
The rising air pollution levels in many of China’s largest cities are having a pronouncedly negative effect on human health there. Though, that much has been known for quite a while now. A new study, however, has unearthed something not unexpected but still worth taking note of — “robust evidence” that rising levels of short-term ozone exposure are ramping up mortality rates considerably.