Air Pollution

  Mission * Why Vehicles Need to use Electricity > Peak oil > Climate change > Renewable energy > Smart grid > Vehicle-to-grid > Vehicle-to-home

Air pollution from burning of fossil fuels causes health problems, acid rain, and climate change. A transition to renewable energy and a new generation of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) is underway to help solve these problems.

Organizations

• Clean Air in London Campaigning to achieve urgently and sustainably compliance with World Health Organisation guidelines for air quality throughout London

• Controlling Air Pollution from Motor Vehicles - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation "Motor vehicles are significant sources of pollution that can damage the environment and pose public health issues. ... Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons are released when fuel is burned in an internal combustion engine and when air/fuel residuals are emitted through the vehicle tailpipe. ... The pollutants in vehicle emissions are known to damage lung tissue, and can lead to and aggravate respiratory diseases, such as asthma. Motor vehicle pollution also contributes to the formation of acid rain and adds to the greenhouse gases that cause climate change."

• Vehicles, Air Pollution, and Human Health - Union of Concerned Scientists "Nearly one half of all Americans — an estimated 150 million — live in areas that don’t meet federal air quality standards. Passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks are the main sources of this pollution, which includes ozone, particulate matter, and other smog-forming emissions."

Videos

• air pollution - YouTube search See the latest videos

• 2015.03.01 - Chai Jing's review: Under the Dome – Investigating China’s Smog 柴静雾霾调查：穹顶之下 - YouTube "Former celebrity TV anchor Chai Jing ... documentary about China’s smog: what is smog? Where does it come from? What do we do from here?"

• 2015.02.02 - Air Pollution affects your Heart Health - YouTube - Twin Cities Heart "FOX 9 KMSP reported on a recent study of how air pollution impacts heart health. Local volunteers for the American Heart Association, Mark Olson and Dr. Stephen Smalley were interviewed."

• 2014.09.10 - A breath of fresh air? Parliament’s green watchdog looks at air pollution - YouTube - UK Parliament "Air pollution causes 29,000 early deaths a year according to Public Health England, yet the Government has admitted that European safety limits on exposure will not be met in many UK cities until the late 2020s. The cross-party Environmental Audit Committee investigates the problem and asks whether the Government and Local Authorities are doing enough to get the dirtiest vehicles off the road and promote cleaner forms of transport. For more information on the inquiry please visit http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/airquality/"

• 2012.08.01 - Why air pollution is bad for human health (Cities for Clean Air : London 2012) - YouTube - CleanAirUK "Dr Ian Mudway, a researcher at MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health, King's College London in the UK, showed these slides as part of his presentation at 'Cities for Clean Air : London 2012' on July 14 2012 in London, UK. The meeting was hosted by Network for Clean Air (http://www.cleanairuk.org). The slide presentation used by Dr Ian Mudway in this video is available online (along with the audio of this presentation but better quality): http://www.slideshare.net/CleanAirUK/ian-mudwaynetworkforclean-airism Dr Ian Mudway's talk followed-on from one other at the conference. There is a news report about this here: http://www.airqualitynews.com/2012/07/20/lungs-of-london-schoolchildren-damaged-by-poor-air-quality/ Further information about Dr Ian Mudway see http://www.kcl.ac.uk/biohealth/research/divisions/aes/about/people/Mudway/index.aspx"

• 2011.10.21 - The Right To Breathe - YouTube - AQMDAirNewsNetwork "The Right to Breathe is a documentary film by the South Coast Air Quality Management District on the serious health effects of Southern California's air pollution shared through stories of individuals. This film captures air quality issues in Southern California from an emotionally powerful and personal perspective. Directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker Alexandre Philippe, creative director of Cinema Vertige, the film is meant to make viewers aware of the serious health effects of air pollution while also inspiring them to take action and participate in practical solutions to help improve our air."

• 2011.02.22 - A GASP for Clean Air - YouTube - GASPforCleanAir "Forty years ago, a public health crisis in Birmingham caused by unchecked air pollution motivated a group of young citizens and their allies to act. They organized and formed GASP (Greater Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution) and began to advocate for cleaning up the air. Inspired by the passage of the Clean Air Act, the first Earth Day and a desire for change, they succeeded in shaking up the seemingly impenetrable establishment and they paved the way for a healthier, cleaner community. For the 40th Anniversary of the Clean Air Act we honor the efforts and accomplishments of those who fought for healthy air forty years ago, and recognize there is still work to be done."

Hashtags

See what people are saying about: #AirPollution, #AirQuality, #Smog, #CleanAir

News

• Prenatal Exposure to Pollutants May Spell Trouble for Kids - WebMD 25march2015 "Exposure to common air pollutants before birth may make children more likely to have the symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other thinking and behavioral problems, a small new study suggests."

• French government launches new law allowing it to ban half the private cars in Paris - The Independent 22march2015 "The government has triggered a pollution control law which allows it to ban half the private cars in the greater Paris area. ... The law, first triggered last year, allows the government to limit traffic if micro-particles in the atmosphere rise above 50 microgrammes a cubic metre."

• Air pollution: What Delhi can learn from Beijing - hindustantimes 11march2015 "The problem is worst in northern China, where air pollution mainly caused by decades of reliance on coal has lowered life expectancy by an estimated 5.5 years ... Los Angeles was like Beijing and Delhi in 1948 with smog gripping the city almost every third day."

• Will Smog in China Spur Climate Solutions? - Energy Institute at Haas, UC Berkeley 21april2014 "A soupy smog of particulates, ozone, sulfur and nitrogen oxides hangs over Beijing, Tianjin and other northern cities. ... the lifespans of people who live in these cities fall. The primary culprits for much of the air pollution are the coal-fired power plants, which produce roughly 80 percent of China’s electricity." AAFrank comment 03july2014 "Solutions ... renewable electric energy ... electrical energy storage ... use fossil material to make replacements for wood ... replant the forests ...plug-in hybrid electric cars ... biofuel "

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