Air Pollution

India has emerged as the world’s third most polluted country. In 2023, India’s air quality, with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic metre, was better than only two countries…

A view of the vehicles parked on the street in Paris, France on Nov. 22, 2023. Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesParisians have voted to hike parking fees on large SUVs — and it's not the only European city to set its sights on heavier, more polluting cars.At a referendum in Paris last month, almost 55% voted in favor of a specific parking rate for sports utility vehicles (SUVs) for non-residents. With a turnout rate of 5.7%, however, the poll represented only a small proportion of the capital's electoral list.The measure…

The land Cindy and Ronald McCormick bought for their “forever” home in the rolling hills of eastern Adams County came with a stunning view of the Front Range. It also came with an out-of-service oil well, an open pit, aging storage tanks, a dilapidated shed and a broken promise from a company to clean it all up. After learning that the company, Painted Pegasus Petroleum, went bankrupt, leaving nearly 200 wells across the county for others to take care of, the McCormicks decided to join a lawsuit seeking damages. The…

Last Updated: February 28, 2024, 16:55 ISTDo Electric Vehicles Contribute To Air Pollution? Here’s What Experts Have To Say. (Representative Image) (Photo: Canary Media)While electric cars have zero engine pollution, friction is still needed for the tyres and brakes to function.Several countries have prioritised the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) in their efforts to meet their climate targets.Electric vehicles emit no tailpipe emissions when compared to traditional vehicles that run on fossil fuel. This has the…

Four years after an overhaul of Colorado’s oil and gas rules that was meant to cool conflicts over drilling, a draft bill that would phase out new permits for wells is running up the temperature. Fanning the heat even more are ballot proposals that could restrict efforts to boost renewable energy. Gov. Jared Polis said he hoped a law approved in 2019 would end the state’s “oil and gas wars” by tightening regulations and putting protection of public health and the environment front and center. But growing concerns about…

Suncor Energy’s oil refinery in Commerce City has reported 13 malfunctions since Dec. 1, sending excessive amounts of harmful pollutants into the air as the company provided little public information as to whether or not people’s health was at risk. The malfunctions caused Suncor to release more pollutants than the company is allowed under its two federal air pollution permits, and on at least two occasions those excessive releases lasted for days. In one incident on Jan. 13, the amount of hydrogen sulfide expelled from…

But while air pollution may come across as a metro-city problem for much of the year, and a north-Indian problem in early winter, data indicates that’s only the tip of the iceberg. In November, when pre-Diwali rain briefly insulated Delhi’s vulnerable air from the fireworks, some of the most polluted locations in India the morning after the festivities were in Bihar and Odisha, far away from the glitz of metros, data from the Central Pollution Control Board show.…

As Hurricane Larry lashed Newfoundland in 2021, university students from Halifax headed to a rural area in its track to find out whether the ocean might whip microplastics up into the atmosphere then transport them by air to otherwise pristine communities.The results, you could say, blew their socks off."It was such, like, an astonishing result that we weren't really expecting," said Anna Ryan, a Dalhousie University environmental science masters student and the study's lead researcher. To test their theory, the…

The Christmas Eve fire that injured two workers at Suncor Energy’s Commerce City refinery began when a vapor cloud leaked from an unused pump valve and exploded as the facility was being shut down after extreme cold caused equipment failures, according to a federal investigation. The vapor was released from a pump that was not functional and had not been used or properly inspected in seven years, according to the report detailing the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration‘s investigation into the accident. The…

In the midst of dazzling fireworks and bonfires during the festival season, the air in Northern India has become a challenge to breathe. The air quality index (AQI) is soaring, making it difficult to enjoy fresh air outdoors and even indoors it has acquired worrisome proportions now. The impact of pollution on health is severe, with schools closing and offices shifting to work-from-home setups on a frequent basis. The impact of pollution on health is severe, making it crucial to find ways to combat the rising pollution…