Looking to Denmark to inspire China’s ‘war on pollution’

Christian Oliver writes an excellent analysis in the Financial Times about the lessons China is learning from Denmark about addressing urban air pollution. There are lessons for more than China. The urban environment: Clean-up time Before China’s leaders declared their “war on pollution” in March, they had already recruited help from abroad. The northern … Continue reading Looking to Denmark to inspire China’s ‘war on pollution’ →

Emphasis on promoting diesel has totally shifted in Paris

For years, the French government felt that diesel vehicles were the solution to saving energy and improving air quality. Well, they have recently found out that is not true, yet diesel fuel still remains cheaper than gasoline – for the present time. There are other ways of looking for other options, as Anne Penketh writes … Continue reading Emphasis on promoting diesel has totally shifted in Paris →

New report from European Environment Agency: Industrial air pollution has high economic cost

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has come out with an important new study on industrial air pollution. Air pollution and GHG emissions from industry cost Europe between €59 and €189 billion in 2012, the report shows. The upper estimate is approximately equivalent to the GDP of Finland or half the GDP of Poland. Over the … Continue reading New report from European Environment Agency: Industrial air pollution has high economic cost →

Beijing’s war on pollution

When air pollution is causing more than 3.7 million deaths a year and costing the global economy over $3.5tr a year in sickness and premature deaths, not to mention the effect on climate change, something must be done. In China there is growing public unrest. BusinessGreen provides a good article on how coal consumption in … Continue reading Beijing’s war on pollution →

Mixed messages over the role of diesel to power our vehicles

Fiona Harvey writes in the Guardian about the confusion over how “green” diesel fuel is. She writes that diesel's popularity with motorists has surged, but its green image was an illusion. Now concern is growing over the damage caused by emissions, with children particularly vulnerable. While not in her article, countries such as France have … Continue reading Mixed messages over the role of diesel to power our vehicles →

OECD finds air pollution from road transport costs member states US$1.7 trillion annually

Deaths and health impacts from air pollution cost advanced economies, together with China and India, US$3.5 trillion annually, according to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, 'The Cost of Air Pollution: Health Impacts of Road Transport.' Air pollution and its impacts on human health cost society an estimated US$1.7 trillion per year … Continue reading OECD finds air pollution from road transport costs member states US$1.7 trillion annually →

Good air quality is fundamental

Just this week, the World Health Organisation reported that nine cities in the UK breached safe air pollution levels. We have also reported on the dire situation in China’s cities. Recently, Suzanne Goldenberg reported in the Guardian that almost half of Americans are having to deal with unsafe levels. It is worth reading Ms Goldenberg’s … Continue reading Good air quality is fundamental →

We cannot take the air we breathe for granted

With EiD team surviving the smog crisis in Paris and now with the city enjoying the first days of spring, it is time to reflect on what we take for granted. Luce Irigaray and Michael Marder write in the Guardian that, as smog contaminates Paris, Shanghai and other world cities, we should regard pollution as … Continue reading We cannot take the air we breathe for granted →

With spring in the air, we can seriously thinking of cycling but . . .

Peter Walker writes a blog in The Guardian about the problem that urban air pollution poses for cyclists in London, although the problems exist in many if not most major cities. This week we are seeing unbelievable levels of pollution in cities such as Beijing and the thought of cycling is daunting. Air pollution: … Continue reading With spring in the air, we can seriously thinking of cycling but . . . →

Dealing with air pollution creating greater transparency in China

China knows it has an air quality problem that has to be tackled directly and effectively. Surprisingly, this is including the disclosure of data on air pollution, as shown in the following article by Simon Denyer in the Washington Post, and now 15,000 factories are required to publicly report details on their air emissions and … Continue reading Dealing with air pollution creating greater transparency in China →