Air pollution: Nearly everyone in Europe breathing bad air
With the EU voting on new air quality rules, satellite data shows that 98% of people face pollution above limits recommended by the World Health Organization.
Chad dw links the studies it mentions
"2x above WHO limits" means "within EU limits". WHO recommends 5 micrograms, which is pretty unrealistic considering the population density of urban areas today. Unless we fully move off CO2 based transportation
Unless we fully move off CO2 based transportation
Which is no problem at all in urban areas.
It’s not achievable yet. Trucks are, at minimum, the last mile for transport of everything from building materials to equipment to food to medicine. EV trucks and vans are in development but battery technology isn’t quite there yet.
It would also require banning large container and cruise ships from most major ports. The former world obliterate economies. The latter would obliterate tourism industries for many major cities around the world. We’re decades away from large ships being low emission. Maersk is trialing hydrogen vessels right now to poor results.
Unless we fully move off CO2 based transportation
My understanding is that electric cars produce similar amounts of particulate pollution compared to other cars, because while they lack an internal combustion engine, they are also heavier and that increased the amount of particulates produced through tire wear and braking.
In other words, cars as a whole are the problem. Walking, cycling, streetcars and subways are the solution.
While it is true that all cars hurt the environment (Creating a 1t box out of rare and complex materials and moving it along with the person to every place simply does) the thing with particle pollution is a myth by the anti-climate-change-mitigation movement.
Just think of the fact that they use regenerative breaking most of the time. Almost no wear on the breaks. And the battery weight is largely offset by drive train and engine.
Right but you can drag the pollution outside the environment
Guess what, WHO is way more abouth health
So I would rather go in that direction
It's wild to me, old enough to remember the thick clouds of yellow smog that used to blanket Los Angeles and acid rain dissolving historical buildings and statues, to see how far we've advanced in reigning in air pollution. I can kind of understand the struggle that older generations have in updating their ideas about what is and is not acceptable. All the more reason to have age restrictions on politicians to try to make advancement possible at the speeds required to save the species from climate change.
I haven't thought about how having young politicians increase the overall speed of progress, not only due to the difference in ideas from one generation to the next but also from a purely logistics viewpoint.
Sulfur isnt the only kind of air pollutant.
With the EU voting on new air quality rules, satellite data shows that 98% of people face pollution above limits recommended by the World Health Organization.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Virtually everyone in Europe lives in polluted towns and cities where annual average levels of fine particulate matter are higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended limit.
The European Parliament's Environment Committee had suggested adopting the WHO recommendations, which are stricter at five micrograms of fine particulate matter per cubic meter of air.
Geography is partially to blame: the region is surrounded by mountains and pollution created by heavy traffic, industry, agricultural emissions and residential heating is trapped in the area.
A study published in the science journal The Lancet used pollution data from 2015 to estimate that around 10% of deaths in cities like Milan could be prevented if average PM 2.5 concentrations dropped by around 10 micrograms per cubic meter.
"On top of having a negative geographical situation, we've been doing exactly the opposite of what we should do," said Anna Gerometta, a lawyer and president of Cittadini per l'Aria, an NGO that advocates for stricter air quality policies in Italy.
In Italy, environmental campaigners have noticed a similar problem in bridging a gap between science and daily life: "People don't understand the issue with air pollution.
The original article contains 1,206 words, the summary contains 176 words. Saved 85%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Nah, it's just a weird weather condition trapping hot air until it rains mid next week.
Having lived in Bergen (Norway) I can say with some degree of confidence that these readings are taken in summer. Otherwise Norway would have 5% marked in black.
Black, as in worse than red? Why?
It's surrounded by mountains, public transport sucks, high road density, studded tires, no wind, cold temperatures. the pollution just doesn't go anywhere until spring.
I love living in a tiny village
Until your neighbours start burning wood
I read that whole news article. the only thing they have to blame is geography? That's so stupid. Air pollution does not come from the ground.
They don't. The sentence you're likely referring to is this:
Geography is partially to blame: the region is surrounded by mountains and pollution created by heavy traffic, industry, agricultural emissions and residential heating is trapped in the area.
That's as accurate as you can be.
I read that whole news article.
You don't seem like a person that read the whole news article.
