So Cal May Ban Wood-Burning Fireplaces

Toxic air kills more than car crashes in some areas, researchers find

(NEWSER) - Health problems caused by pollution choke $28 billion out of California's economy every year, according to a new study. Most of the cost is linked to 3,000 smog-related deaths each year, along with days of work missed by workers with respiratory problems aggravated by pollution spewed from tailpipes and smokestacks, reports the Los Angeles Times. More»

But fireplace lovers need not fret: only 24 days per year

(NEWSER) - Officials in charge of air quality in Los Angeles and surrounding counties have banned the use of wood-burning fireplaces during certain high-pollution days. The fines would only be levied on about two dozen winter days, and wouldn't affect gas fireplaces, wood-burning ovens in restaurants, or homes above 3,000 feet, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Nepal's once-pristine natural beauty has been ravaged by years of civil war, neglect, and corruption, the Washington Post reports. Dangerous levels of pollution now cloud Kathmandu, forcing many residents to wear masks. Even the top of Mount Everest is marred by litter left behind by generations of climbers, and many warn the government that the tourists vital to the country's economy will start staying away if it doesn't take action. More»

(NEWSER) - The California government is preparing to enter into the "forest bank" business in a bid to save woodlands and battle carbon pollution and climate change, reports the Los Angeles Times. The state is expected to roll out a California "cabon market" that may be expanded elsewhere in the West if it works. The program will allow forest owners to sell "carbon credits" saved when they don't log their land. The credits will help offset carbon pollution in upcoming development. More»

Steel City is first outside California to top Lung Association's annual list

(NEWSER) - Pittsburgh has gone Hollywood—but not in a good way, Reuters reports. For the first time, a city outside California has topped one of three most-polluted lists in an annual “State of the Air” report, Pittsburgh ranked as the US city with the worst short-term particle pollution; Los Angeles ranked worst in the other two categories. More»