article thumbnail

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. Ozone, too, poses significant risks to respiratory health.

2024 150
article thumbnail

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. NO x also contributes to the formation of ozone (or “smog”), another toxic pollutant. pollution, which are particles with diameters of 2.5 In 2019, air pollution more broadly was responsible for about 6.7

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Centering Public Health at the UN Climate Talks

Legal Planet

With the backdrop of the first-ever Health Day at the annual UN climate conference, air quality in Dubai soared, as PM2.5 pollution reached 155 micrograms per cubic unit. Air pollution is harmful to human health as it exacerbates and causes an increase in health issues, like respiratory illnesses. More than ever before.

article thumbnail

What If We Succeed?

Legal Planet

Urban air pollution kills millions of people around the world. Eliminating fossil fuels will radically reduce that problem. We will also get rid of coal mines and oil wells, which produce other kinds of pollution today. Accomplishing that will be no easy feat. What does it buy us?

article thumbnail

Clean Fleets Rule Slated to Deliver Healthier Air for Californians

Union of Concerned Scientists

In the coming years, Californians will begin to see a massive switch away from highly polluting fossil-fueled trucks to zero-emission electric trucks. Additionally, the rule phases out the sale of fossil-fueled trucks in 2036. The rule will apply to commercial, federal, state, municipal, and drayage fleets.

article thumbnail

Why the Bay Area’s Zero-Emission Appliance Rule is a Big Deal

Legal Planet

Research shows that halting the burning of fossil fuels in homes and businesses is beneficial for the health of residents and vital to combat climate change. Additionally, NOx react with other chemicals in the air to create other harmful pollutants, like fine particulate matter and ozone. Richard Trumka Jr.,

article thumbnail

Improving EPA’s Latest Ozone Transport Rule

Acoel

EPA’s latest proposed rule targeting NOx emissions from fossil-fueled electric generating units (EGUs) is a classic study of diminishing returns. The downwind air quality benefits are minimal. The agency’s air quality modeling indicates that most areas would receive an ozone reduction of less than 0.1

Ozone 40