Climate forcing agents

Canadian wildfire smoke hunger over the Eastern U.S. and throughout the Midwest last week. It darkened skies over multiple major cities, including New York City. The unhealthy air quality also increased the number of asthma-related emergency room visits throughout the city.Mental Health Apps Are a Privacy NightmareLast Wednesday, the Air Quality Index shot above 400 in multiple places including NYC. This level is considered dangerous to anyone, regardless of their pre-existing health conditions. An AQI above 150 is…

Heat, sunlight, and pollution might make some dogs bite-happy, new research out Thursday suggests. The study found that reported dog bites tend to increase on days with higher temperatures as well as days with higher UV or certain pollution levels. Though more research will be needed to confirm the findings, the authors say, other studies have found a similar link between hot weather and aggression in humans and other animals.What Is Carbon Capture? With Gizmodo’s Molly Taft | TechmodoThe research was led by scientists at…

Last week, hazardous air hung over much of the Eastern U.S.—blanketing major cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia,and Washington D.C. in a heavy haze of smoke. The Air Quality Index shot above 400 in some places (including NYC), well into the danger zone for human health. Thankfully, shifting air currents and weather improved air quality over the weekend. But the reprieve is likely temporary as Canadian wildfires continue to multiply and grow. Brief intermissions aside, the U.S. could be in for a whole…

There are hundreds of fires burning throughout Canada this week. The flames have burned millions of hectares, and the resulting smoke has polluted the air quality throughout the United States. Tens of millions of Americans were under air quality alerts this week as a blanket of smoke traveled south.Biggest Forest Fire in New Mexico HistoryRed alerts were issued for air quality throughout the Midwest and the Northeast. Residents living in multiple states could smell smoke, and skylines in East Coast cities were colored…

A jaw-dropping time lapse from the National Weather Service showed how New York City’s air turned a shocking hazy orange in just a matter of hours on Wednesday as parts of the state grappled with the smoke from wildfires burning across Canada.Biggest Forest Fire in New Mexico HistoryThe effects of the unhealthy air were still being felt on Thursday. On Wednesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the state would provide one million N95 face masks for residents throughout the region, including 400,000 in New York…

New York officials issued an air quality health advisory for regions across the state, including New York City, Long Island, and New York City Metro. Smoke traveling from wildfires in Canada blanketed much of the state in a brown haze Wednesday, in some cases creating scenes that looked straight out of a disaster movie. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the State Department of Health issued the advisory over concerns about the levels of pollutants in the air. The state agencies explained in a…

Wildfires have been raging throughout Nova Scotia since last week, lowering air quality for cities in the Northeast. As a result, skies across New England, New York, and New Jersey have been hazy this week as smoke from the wildfires made its way down south.Biggest Forest Fire in New Mexico HistoryResidents across Massachusetts have reported smelling wildfire, the Boston Herald reported on Tuesday. This led to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issuingan “Air Quality Alert” yesterday for nine…

Just because a fuel source may emit less CO2 when it’s used doesn’t mean that there aren’t adverse impacts along its entire life cycle. Air pollution from the production of fossil fuels is responsible for $77 billion in health damages across the U.S. and causes tens of thousands of adverse health impacts each year, a new study published Monday in Environmental Research: Health has found.Making Paint Cool in the Face of HeatBefore the intense fracking boom of the 2010s, natural gas enjoyed a reputation as a “bridge fuel”:…

Solar geoengineering is a controversial proposed strategy to block sunlight from reaching Earth in order to slow down climate change. One of the leading geoengineering ideas involvesadding reflective particles to the stratosphere. But before humanity makes any more big changes to our atmosphere, it would probably be a good idea to try to understand it. At least, that’s the idea behind a recent National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mission involving a retrofitted bomber aircraft from the 1950s.The U.S. In For A…

One of the largest timber companies in the world is claiming to “contribute to climate change solutions,” despite the fact that it’s planning to increase lumber production over the next couple of years. As the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, logging giant Weyerhaeuser has made a pivot in recent years to promoting its timber activities as sustainable and green, a move that follows the drive towardcreating profitable carbon offsets from forests—despite the fuzzy math in play.Could NASA's Electric Airplane Make…