Air on the Water

“In May the PLA [Port of London Authority] released its own air quality strategy for the Thames, including targets to cut NOx and particulates by half over the next 25 years.
Such measures are already being implemented in the Thames Clippers, but critics have pointed out that even with these changes pollution levels would still far exceed those of road vehicles.
“To me it’s weak – it’s a lot of smoke and mirrors to say they are doing something.”” https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/air-pollution-river-thames-boats-transport-shipping-ferries-nitrogen-dioxide-sadiq-khan-a8411561.html

The mirrors are making the smoke seem twice as bad as it actually is.

Monkeyswagen

“An unusual experiment: Ten monkeys squatted in airtight chambers, watching cartoons for entertainment as they inhaled fumes from a diesel Volkswagen Beetle.” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/world/europe/volkswagen-diesel-emissions-monkeys.html

Whatever about test rigging—again—we might pay attention if car manufacturing executives had diesel fumes pumped into their offices.

Driving Down Plastic Waste

“The friction, pressure and heat of driving wears tyres down so much they produce an estimated average of 63,000 tonnes per year of plastic dust in the UK alone.” http://theconversation.com/ten-stealth-microplastics-to-avoid-if-you-want-to-save-the-oceans-90063

Please select your preference:
1. breathe
2. drink
3. eat

Exhausted

“ClientEarth is now examining the latest [UK government air pollution] plan and could go back to court again if it decides the measures will not reduce illegal levels of air pollution in the ‘shortest possible time’, as the law demands.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/05/air-pollution-plan-sacrificing-the-nations-health-to-save-an-election-campaign

The UK government, in a flush of swollen electoral sovereignty, may feel justified in treating citizens as collateral damage as those with weak lungs are unlikely to be Conservative voters.

“The plan requires local authorities to exhaust all other options before introducing CAZ [clean air zones] charging for diesel vehicles, as will happen in London, such as removing speed bumps and retrofitting buses.”

It is hoped that the exhaust from these other options will obscure the diesel miasma.

Coaly Hell

“Gore and Blood said the impact of coal’s combustion on the climate and the air pollution it generates were already responsible for devastating the lives the industry claims to have improved.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/16/al-gore-coal-industry-campaign-on-energy-poverty-is-extremely-misleading)

The climate change debate just got grisly.

Polluted Air

“Energy industry representatives repeatedly and forcefully pushed for weaker pollution limits at meetings in Brussels.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/05/industry-lobbyists-weakened-europes-air-pollution-rules-say-greenpeace)

Thus Brussels meetings became polluted by industry.

Exposure

“Low-cost monitoring devices to vastly expand the amount of data that are publicly available on forms of air pollution such as particulate matter and toxic gases … are easy to deploy and can complement data from official networks. … Work is also under way to develop wearable sensors to monitor personal exposure levels.” (http://www.nature.com/news/environmental-science-pollution-patrol-1.16654)

Always check it’s safe before you expose yourself.

Smessage

“Poor air quality has persisted with [Chinese] officials continuing to focus on economic growth, and lax enforcement of environmental regulations remains rife. In a sign of growing environmental activism, Greenpeace East Asia projected the message “Blue Sky Now!” on to a facade of the Drum Tower, a historic building north of the Forbidden City.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/10/china-pollution-levels-hit-20-times-safe-levels)

Unfortunately no-one can see the message for smog.

Links

“Most people … know so little about the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), which is still present in much of northern and eastern Europe and some southern European countries, that they often first think … about the deodorant rather than the carnivore.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/19/-sp-rewilding-large-species-britain-wolves-bears)

Yet lynx should be considerably more welcome than the sickening “noxious smells” produced by Canadian energy company Rathlin’s exploratory gas-drilling site in east Yorkshire where it’s “drilling a 9,000 ft deep ‘wildcat’ bore hole.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/19/yorkshire-wolds-gas-fracking-shale)

Weathminster

“The pollution [in the south-east of England] is likely to be localised, with clear skies over Scotland as people cast their ballots in the independence referendum.” (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/18/high-air-pollution-levels-hit-south-east-england)

Any ideas where a load of dirty, hot air came from?