Smog Costs California $28B a Year

(NEWSER) - California passed diesel emission regulations yesterday that will likely save lives and leave truckers footing most of the bill, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The state air board ruling will require trucks in California to filter their exhaust by 2014 and replace engines by 2022. The board plans to give truckers $1 billion of the $5.5 billion it will cost to retrofit and replace their vehicles. More»

Proposed regs will eliminate new fireplaces; limit current ones in winter

(NEWSER) - Southern Californians will be roasting their chestnuts in the oven if an air pollution plan is passed that would ban fireplaces in all new homes and prohibit wood-fueled blazes for as many as 20 days every winter. The regulations, proposed by South Coast Air Quality Management, seeks to clean up the most polluted region in the nation, reports the LA Times, as well as meet federal standards. 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»

High-level areas like LA face 50% increase in risk of death from respiratory illness

(NEWSER) - Long-term exposure to ozone can greatly increase the risk of death from respiratory diseases, the Los Angeles Times reports. An 18-year study of half a million people in 96 cities found that an increase of 10 parts per billion in ozone concentrations correlated to a 4% increase in deaths from respiratory causes. Riverside, Calif., with the highest concentration at 104ppb, had a risk 50% greater than an area without ozone. More»