Remove Air Pollution Remove Fossil Fuels Remove Nitrogen Oxides Remove Technology
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We Need an Agreement to Phase out Fossil Fuels at COP28

Union of Concerned Scientists

It’s not just the poor air quality, long lines, and excessive fossil fuel company representation ; nations are still too far apart in their positions on a fossil fuel phaseout, the top priority for this COP. Yet global fossil fuel production and use continue to expand. Particulate matter (PM2.5)

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Good News—and Bad—about Fossil Fuel Power Plants in 2023 

Union of Concerned Scientists

And fossil fuel power plants may not stick to their retirement schedules for a variety of reasons. In 2021 alone, the plants slated for retirement emitted more than 28,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxides (NO x ), 32,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and 51 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), according to EIA data.

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The State of the Air in 2024? Not Great

Union of Concerned Scientists

So of course the American Lung Association ’s yearly report, State of the Air (SOTA), published every year since 2000, is of professional and personal interest. The air quality for this report was calculated using data reviewed by EPA from 2020, 2021, and 2022. These particles are categorized by size.

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Diesel is the Reason for the Sneezin’: Cleaner Holiday Deliveries are on the Horizon

Union of Concerned Scientists

But while greenhouse gas emissions may be reduced, a delivery fulfilled by a diesel-burning truck may lead to increases in emissions of smog-forming nitrogen oxides and lung-damaging particulate matter. The number of available electric truck models in the US and Canada has surpassed 180.

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Ask a Scientist: The US Has to Do More to Meet Its Carbon Emissions Reduction Goals

Union of Concerned Scientists

The legislation committed nearly $400 billion to support, among other things, wind and solar power, battery storage, electric vehicles, and other clean energy technologies that will make a significant dent in US heat-trapping emissions. It also will save US consumers money because they will spend less on fossil fuels.

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A 100% Renewable Energy Future is Possible, and We Need It

Union of Concerned Scientists

And we’re still trying to recover from a pandemic that has made even more clear the disproportionate impacts of air pollution on overburdened communities, making them even more vulnerable to the negative impacts of COVID 19. A transition to 100 percent renewable energy is about more than just technology.

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Ask a Scientist: Gas Plants Disproportionately Harm Marginalized Communities

Union of Concerned Scientists

First, there’s air pollution. Gas plants and infrastructure emit nitrogen oxides (NOx) during combustion, which degrade local air quality. Exposure to NOx and other gas infrastructure air pollutants has been associated with respiratory illnesses and an increase in childhood asthma rates.