Coating for Roof Tiles Could Help Clear Smog-Causing Air Pollutants
written by Yale Environment 360
Engineering students have created a roof tile coating that, when applied to an average-sized residential roof, breaks down the same amount of smog-causing nitrogen oxides per year as a car driven 11,000 miles makes.
If applied to one million roofs, the titanium-dioxide based coating, which costs roughly $5 per roof, could clear 21 tons of nitrogen oxides each day, the team calculated. That could put a noticeable dent in atmospheric levels of the pollutant; in Southern California, for example, an average of 500 tons of nitrogen oxides are emitted daily.
The team, which was recently recognized in a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency student design contest, showed that their tiles could remove 88 to 97 percent of nitrogen oxides in laboratory tests — a feat that other roof tile prototypes have not demonstrated.
June 6, 2014 1 comment
China Includes ESG in its Strategy for War on Pollution
In his recent state-of-the-nation speech, Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang acknowledged the impact of environmental, social, and governance— ESG—issues on that country's economic policies. He announced that the government will "declare war" on pollution. The environmental impact of China's mainly coal-powered energy generation has been well documented, with levels of toxic air pollution many times higher than accepted safe standards that have negatively affect commerce and health.
What's new is the growing social pressure from the Chinese public, and the implications it raises for the government's governance over the Chinese economy. Last month, the smog that covers much of the country was declared its first "orange" alert, the second highest-level of new pollution standards. As the toxic haze persisted, China's blogosphere began to ask why a top-level "red alert" had not been issued. Despite the government's rigorous Internet censorship, the online questioning registered as widespread criticism that had to be answered.
The Prime Minister noted that smog was a growing problem that authorities needed to "fight" with more resources. As an example, he proposed that plans to close "backward" production facilities in the steel, cement, and glass-manufacturing industries be moved forward by one year. The combination of social media commentary and the questions about the government's policies it raised have added the "S," social, and the "G," governance to China's already admitted "E," environmental, to complete its adoption of ESG as a guiding economic philosophy.
Article by John Howell.
Chinese State Media Criticized for Touting Silver Lining of Air Pollution
For Chinese citizens worried about smog, which has been blanketing major cities and smashing air pollution records recently, China's state media has some advice: Look on the bright side. State broadcaster CCTV and a Communist Party tabloid, Global Times, yesterday published editorials attempting to put a positive spin on China's air
Nine in 10 European Cities Breathe Dangerous, Polluted Air, Study Says
More than 90 percent of Europeans living in cities are exposed to harmful levels of air pollutants, according to a new assessment from the European Environment Agency.
Concentrations of ground-level ozone, or smog, pose a danger to 97 percent of city populations,
Illegal Fires in Sumatra Send Dangerous Pollution to Singapore
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.
Auto-Related Pollution in Los Angeles Declined 98 Percent Over 50 Years
Levels of some automobile-related pollutants in Los Angeles have plummeted by 98 percent since the 1960s, even as gasoline consumption nearly tripled during the same period, a new study says.
Levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted from the tailpipes of cars and are a key
Smog Rules Could Have Saved Thousands of Lives Annually
By declining to implement tougher regulations on smog last fall, President Obama rejected measures that could have saved several thousand lives a year and prevented millions of cases of asthma attacks and other acute respiratory problems, according to a new study.
So What Does the Clean Air Act Do?
Earlier this week, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In her testimony the Administrator highlighted the agency's ongoing efforts to develop sensible standards that update the Clean Air Act, while ensuring that the landmark law continues to provide Americans
EPA Proposes Transport Rule to Aid Downwind States
written by Environmental News Network
A new EPA proposal is taking aim at reducing emissions from power plants that affect people living downwind. Air pollution from these sources has been shown to cause thousands of asthma cases and other cardio-respiratory impairments. The proposed regulations have been termed