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Replacing California’s Oldest and Dirtiest Cars Will Save Money and Lives

Union of Concerned Scientists

As early as 1966 , the state began to take regulatory action to reduce pollution from passenger cars and trucks. As a result of continuing progress on regulations, the air-polluting emissions of new passenger vehicles currently for sale are thankfully much lower than those of older vehicles. Combining the PM 2.5

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

Union of Concerned Scientists

A 2021 meta-analysis of over 40 peer-reviewed studies on the subject concluded that “there is no particular type of shopping that has an absolute environmental advantage and it is in no way possible to shop ourselves out of the environmental crisis.” How would that change if I hopped on the electric bus route at the end of my block?

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The State of the Air in 2024? Not Great

Union of Concerned Scientists

Since its inception, the report has effectively heightened the awareness of some hazardous air pollutants, and engaged the public, media, advocates, and policymakers in the ongoing fight against air pollution. The air quality for this report was calculated using data reviewed by EPA from 2020, 2021, and 2022.

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Ask a Scientist: Gas Plants Disproportionately Harm Marginalized Communities

Union of Concerned Scientists

They accounted for most of the failed generating capacity in a number of recent extreme weather events, including Winter Storm Uri in 2021 and Winter Storm Elliott in 2022, according to Gas Malfunction , a new Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) issue brief. First, there’s air pollution.

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Reliance on Gas Power Plants Fuels Inequity

Union of Concerned Scientists

Air pollution Gas-fueled power plants and compressor stations release emissions that pollute local air and have dangerous health impacts to nearby residents. Most notable of these polluting emissions are nitrogen oxides (NOx).

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Ask a Scientist: UCS Transportation Program Adds Equitable Mobility to its Portfolio

Union of Concerned Scientists

In 1963, a typical car—which ran on leaded gasoline without pollution control devices— emitted 520 pounds of hydrocarbons, 1,700 pounds of carbon monoxide, and 90 pounds of nitrogen oxide every 10,000 miles traveled. Even so, cars and trucks are still making us sick—and killing us. I recently caught up with Kevin X.

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

Union of Concerned Scientists

GW record from 2021. 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. pollution, which are particles with diameters of 2.5 micrometers or less.