Pollution

A groundbreaking study highlights that short-term exposure to PM2.5 air pollution causes over one million deaths globally each year, with the highest impact in Eastern Asia. It calls for urgent targeted interventions to reduce the health risks associated with air pollution spikes. Credit: SciTechDaily.comAnnually, over a million deaths worldwide are associated with short-term exposure (ranging from hours to days) to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air.Every year, over one million people worldwide lose their lives…

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…

Recent research reveals that increased exposure to traffic-related air pollution is linked to a higher likelihood of amyloid plaques in the brain, associated with Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting environmental factors could contribute to Alzheimer’s in genetically unaffected individuals.According to a study recently published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, individuals exposed to higher levels of traffic-related air pollution were found to have increased levels of amyloid plaques in…

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.Coastal Animals Are Thriving on Plastic Pollution Out in the Pacific Ocean | Extreme EarthLast month, Democratic New York City Council Member James Gennaro introduced a bill that would change the way countless New Yorkers do their laundry — by banning laundry detergent pods.More specifically, the bill — dubbed “Pods Are Plastic” — proposed a ban on dishwashing and laundry detergent pods coated in polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, a type of…

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…

A sprawling international study of humpback whales in the northern Pacific has found their population has shrunk significantly since 2012 — despite the once-endangered species' remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction. The new research, published in Royal Society Open Science journal on Wednesday, estimated a roughly 20 per cent drop in the cetacean species' numbers over a decade.But despite that, one of the study's nearly 75 listed authors said the findings are not yet cause for alarm.Thomas Doniol-Valcroze is…

A privately funded satellite is set to push methane tracking into a new era, once it launches into space on Monday.A collaborative mission between Environmental Defense Fund, Google, the Government of New Zealand and several other partners, MethaneSAT will track methane emissions around the globe in attempts to identify and quantify sources spewing the climate-heating greenhouse gas. For 20 years after its release into the atmosphere, methane gas is 80 times more harmful than carbon dioxide in its ability to increase…

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…

A mission to map and track global methane pollution, a powerful greenhouse gas, is scheduled to launch today after years of collaboration between some of the biggest names in tech. It’s called MethaneSAT, a satellite that’s garnered funding and support from Jeff Bezos, Google, and SpaceX, among others.MethaneSAT is expected to launch today from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 2:05PM PT. Liftoff will be livestreamed on the SpaceX website and on the company’s X profile. The…

Try answering this off the top of your head: What’s an abundant renewable resource that can spur growth in your garden and clear pollutants from bodies of water?The answer, according to a Bay Area nonprofit, is hair.Matter of Trust, an ecologically focused group in San Francisco, has been using hair for more than two decades to clean up oil spills and other pollution from bodies of water. Its latest project is encouraging the growth of vegetation in the Presidio in San Francisco, a national park site.…