Researchers Just Found a Hidden Cause of California’s Smog Problem

Despite its progressive environmental policies, the state of California actually has the worst air quality in the nation, according to a 2017 report from the American Lung Association. More specifically, California’s Central Valley, which produces one third of the country’s vegetables and two thirds of its fruits and nuts, is home to some particularly nasty air, thanks to its bathtub-like topography, which traps air pollution in the region. Just in the past month, the Central Valley saw, by some measures, its worst period of polluted air in nearly 20 years, which researchers have attributed primarily to smoke from wildfires that ravaged areas of Southern California, as well as the typical culprits—vehicle emissions and residential wood-burning.

India's Smog Destroyed Enough Crops In A Year To Feed 94 Million People: Study

India's smog problem could be preventing tens of millions of the country's poorest people from getting the food they desperately need.

According to a new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, ground-level ozone, the main component of smog, damages about 6.7 million tons of India's staple crops, including wheat and rice, in a single year. Researchers say those lost crops, worth an estimated $1.3 billion, could feed around 94 million people, or about a third of the country's poor.

Beijing Smog Makes City 'Barely Suitable' For Life, Report Says

SHANGHAI, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Severe pollution in Beijing has made the Chinese capital "barely suitable" for living, according to an official Chinese report, as the world's second largest economy tries to reduce often hazardous levels of smog caused by decades of rapid growth.

Pollution is a rising concern for China's stability-obsessed leaders, keen to douse potential unrest as affluent city dwellers turn against a growth-at-all-costs economic model that has tainted much of the country's air, water and soil.

The Toxic Smog Cloud Hanging Over Shanghai Looks Just As Bad As It Sounds

Shanghai is notorious for its terrible air quality, but the smog in this Chinese metropolis just hit absurd levels. The government's air pollution monitoring site records the level of PM2.5, particulate matter hazardous to health, at 477 as of this writing, one of the highest pollution levels ever recorded. The World Health Organization recommends an average PM2.5 level of 20 or below.

A fetid product of industrial pollution, car exhaust and particulate matter from coal burning, this blanket has been left to fester in the city's streets due to a bout of cold and still weather. It makes the city a dangerous place to be a living, breathing human right now. "Severely polluted" air, the government site states, puts residents at increased risk of cardiopulmonary diseases, and it's suggested that everyone in the city avoid outdoor activity.

AP reports:

    Shanghai authorities ordered schoolchildren indoors and halted all construction Friday as China's financial hub suffered one of its worst bouts of air pollution, bringing visibility down to a few dozen meters, delaying flights and obscuring the city's spectacular skyline.

    The financial district was shrouded in a yellow haze, and noticeably fewer people walked the city's streets. Vehicle traffic also was thinner, as authorities pulled 30 percent of government vehicles from the roads. They also banned fireworks and public sporting events.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com
Author:  The Huffington Post  |  By Sara Boboltz

Canada’s first national smog strategy is in the air

Ottawa and the provinces are poised to conclude Canada’s first national air-pollution strategy, which includes a new standard that is expected to reduce smog significantly in the coming decade.

The new regime, which federal and provincial environment ministers are slated to approve in the fall, is the result of a five-year discussion among governments, environmental advocates, health groups and industry.