A 19th century fire led to the re-construction of the iconic Palace of Westminster. Timothy Hyde, Associate Professor of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology writes on The Conversation website about how the quality of the air led to a quick decay of the building materials before it was even complete. This led to … Continue reading Building Britain’s Houses of Parliament led to speed up of environmental laws
Category: air pollution
With air pollution so bad, China knows it has to turn to sustainable energy
This winter, many of China’s cities have experienced historic levels of smog. This is definitely making policy makers focus on important remedies. The Christian Science Monitor provides a good account of China’s recently announced renewable energy plan. Can China’s new $360B renewable energy plan stop 'Airpocalypse'? Chinese officials rolled out a detailed plan this … Continue reading With air pollution so bad, China knows it has to turn to sustainable energy
Tapping into all ideas to address urban air problems
Soon, experts will be demonstrating the use of jet engines to blow out the smog from Delhi. Will it work? Time will tell. Soutik Biswas writes about recent developments on the BBC News website. But those emissions won’t just disappear, one would assume. Is this a realistic long-term solution? Can jet engines clean up … Continue reading Tapping into all ideas to address urban air problems
Concerns that smoke-free cookstoves are not having the health benefits once thought
The energy transition means different things to different people. Many in developing countries depend on basic cookstoves. There are efforts to improve the efficiency and reduce emissions but a recent study shows that the quality of the cookstove is not making as much difference as once thought. Victoria Gill explains on the BBC website. … Continue reading Concerns that smoke-free cookstoves are not having the health benefits once thought
Health agency calls for more serious efforts to reduce urban air pollution
Every week we are reading more and more about the harmful impact of air pollution. Now health experts in Britain are calling on local authorities to take more active efforts through the use of variable speed limits, removal of speed bumps and ‘no idling’ zones near schools amongst many other recommendations. Kevin Rawlinson provides a … Continue reading Health agency calls for more serious efforts to reduce urban air pollution
Coming to grips with air pollution in Europe
Air pollution has significant impacts on the health of Europeans, particularly in urban areas, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). While air quality is slowly improving, air pollution remains the single largest environmental health hazard in Europe, resulting in a lower quality of life due to illnesses and an estimated … Continue reading Coming to grips with air pollution in Europe
How sustainable energy is addressing air quality
Increasingly we are reading about serious air pollution problems. Most recently, New Delhi has been in the news with its terrible air quality concerns. Stefan Jungcurt writes a good article on the International Institute for Sustainable Development SDG Knowledge Hub website on the role that sustainable energy can and should play to address air quality. … Continue reading How sustainable energy is addressing air quality
“No one can use China as an excuse of not taking action anymore”
With the climate conference starting in Morocco, there is increased interest in better understanding what is happening around the world. By Saša Petricic writes a very good article on Canada’s CBC News website about whether China, the world’s biggest polluter, can bring real change to its smoggy skies. China goes from red-alert pollution to … Continue reading “No one can use China as an excuse of not taking action anymore”
Having a bad “air” day can affect financial markets
EiD regularly provides posts concerning the impact of air pollution. Chris Mooney provides an interesting article in the Washington Post on an impact we were not expecting but that should not surprise us. The article reviews a recent study that shows that poor air quality can even affect stock market returns. What do you think? … Continue reading Having a bad “air” day can affect financial markets
Avoiding the worst health effects of air pollution
The emphasis has to be on a mitigation strategy that reduces air pollution but at the same time we have to sometimes adapt until the transition is complete. Damian Carrington writes in The Guardian about an inexpensive over-the-counter inhaler that could help millions of people avoid worst health effects of breathing toxic air. New … Continue reading Avoiding the worst health effects of air pollution
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 