smog

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Smog in Paris Rivals Beijing's

City makes public transportation free in emergency measure

(Newser) - Air pollution that has turned the skies over Paris a murky yellow and shrouded much of Belgium for days forced drivers to slow down today and gave millions a free ride on public transportation. The belt of smog stretched for hundreds of miles, from France's Atlantic coast to Belgium...

China's Smog Is 'Nuclear Winter' Bad

Crop scientist says the nation's food supply is at risk

(Newser) - Just how lousy is Beijing's air these days? Chinese President Xi Jinping found it necessary to demonstrate his support for the people by ... walking around and breathing yesterday. That's it. "Breathing the same air, sharing the same fate," read the headline on the state's official...

China Paper: Smog Good for National Security

Bad air can be bonus on battlefield, paper claims

(Newser) - As Shanghai and other Chinese cities choke on one of the worst bouts of air pollution ever recorded, a nationalist newspaper has tried to put a positive spin on the problem. The Communist Party-linked Global Times argues that while smog can affect people's health, "on the battlefield, it...

'Choking Smog' Shuts Down Huge Chinese City

Pollution reading way beyond dangerous level

(Newser) - The northeastern Chinese city of Harbin, population 11 million, has virtually shut down today thanks to air pollution; the smog is so heavy in places that you can't see beyond about 30 feet. It's this bad: "We were all late for class today because we couldn't...

Singapore: Indonesia Is Ruining Our Air

Hazardous haze now in Malaysia, too

(Newser) - The hazardous smog that choked Singapore late last week won't dissipate any time soon, says the nation's PM, and it has officials pointing a finger at Indonesia. The pollution, which could last for weeks, has apparently been brought on by illegal forest fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island,...

EPA to Require Cleaner Gas Despite Big Oil's Objections

New rules will call for less sulfur in gasoline

(Newser) - Big oil's lobbyists have lost a fight over cleaner gasoline: The EPA will require refiners to reduce the amount of sulfur to cut down on smog, reports the Washington Post . The cut is a sizable one, dropping the allowable limit by two-thirds from 30 parts per million to 10....

President Obama Dumps New Smog Rules in Surprise Win for Businesses
 Obama Dumps 
 New Smog Rules 
Sep 2, 2011 11:28 AM CDT

Obama Dumps New Smog Rules

He says standard will change anyway in 2013

(Newser) - Barack Obama handed the business community a surprise win today by asking the Environmental Protection Agency to scrap new smog standards that would force state and local government to improve air quality or risk losing federal funds, the Washington Post reports. "Work is already underway to update … the...

Obama Delays New Environmental Regulations

Activists furious over economic move

(Newser) - The Obama administration is delaying the implementation of new regulations on smog and toxic industrial boiler emissions, leaving in place policies enacted by George W. Bush. The EPA says it will now need until July 2011 to consider the smog rules, so that it can analyze further scientific and health...

Iran Forced to Declare Pollution Holiday

Smog forces Tehran to shut down for 2 days

(Newser) - Workers in Tehran and other Iranian cities have been given an extra 2-day vacation to enjoy—as long as they can enjoy themselves without breathing too much. Iranian authorities were forced to declare today and tomorrow public holidays as air pollution reached dangerous levels, AP reports. The capital was also...

EPA to Toughen Smog Rules
 EPA to Toughen Smog Rules  
Jan 7, 2010 2:15 PM CST

EPA to Toughen Smog Rules

Measure would be costly but yield huge health savings

(Newser) - The EPA wants to ramp up smog standards in a significant way from the Bush administration. Assuming today's proposal goes through after a 60-day period for public comment, the agency projects the new standards would prevent 12,000 premature deaths and yield huge savings in health costs. The rules limit...

Electric Bikes Take Off in China
 Electric Bikes 
 Take Off 
 in China 
glossies
Jun 14, 2009 7:00 PM CDT

Electric Bikes Take Off in China

(Newser) - Chinese drivers are seeing a new vehicle zip by on the nation's congested, smog-choked freeways: electric bicycles, Austin Ramzy writes in Time. Promoted by the government as affordable solutions to cars, so-called e-bikes are growing in popularity, offering a green solution to the country's automobile boom. About 21 million e-bikes...

Ozone Kills, Slowly: Study
 Ozone Kills, Slowly: Study 
Mar 12, 2009 2:40 PM CDT

Ozone Kills, Slowly: Study

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...

Smog Bad for Your Appendix: Study

Researchers saw more cases of appendicitis on days with poor air quality

(Newser) - Pollution may boost your chances of getting appendicitis, the BBC reports. A Canadian study suggests that human tissue—such as the appendix—gets more inflamed on days when the ozone level is high; patients were 15% more likely to be hospitalized on bad-air days, researchers found. Infections can cause appendicitis—...

Heavy Smog Greets Olympians
 Heavy Smog Greets Olympians
Jul 27, 2008 5:55 PM CDT

Heavy Smog Greets Olympians

Despite traffic restrictions, skies hazy as always

(Newser) - Beijing has just 12 days left to clear its skies before the start of the Summer Olympics and things are still looking mighty smoggy, reports the AP. Visibility was a mere half-mile in some parts of the city and the Athletes’ Village was invisible from the nearby Olympic Green, despite...

Global Warming Caused by ... Cleaner Skies: Study

Pollution crackdown has let more sunlight in, making Europe toastier, scientists say

(Newser) - Reducing aerosols and other pollutants has been a major part of Europe’s campaign to reduce global warming, but a new study turns conventional thinking on its head, New Scientist reports. "The decrease in aerosols probably accounts for at least half of the warming over Europe in the last...

China Falls Behind on Olympic Promises

Despite vows, not much change on air quality, political freedom

(Newser) - With exactly a month to go before the Olympics, China has not delivered on promises to improve Beijing’s air quality or allow foreign journalists open access, the BBC reports. The government vowed to bring Beijing’s air up to WHO standards when bidding for the Games, but a BBC...

IOC: Beijing Air Risky for Athletes

Competitors in endurance events

(Newser) - The air quality in Beijing poses a “possible risk” to athletes in endurance events, the International Olympic Committee announced today. After analyzing data collected in Beijing in August, the IOC’s medical commission concluded that most competitors won't be affected by the smog, but it will monitor air quality...

Bush Stepped In to Weaken Ozone Rules
Bush Stepped
In to Weaken Ozone Rules
Mar 14, 2008 11:22 AM CDT

Bush Stepped In to Weaken Ozone Rules

President overruled EPA scientists on pollution guidelines

(Newser) - President Bush personally intervened this week to loosen the EPA's new guidelines on pollution-causing ozone, the Washington Post reports. By law, separate ozone standards are mandated for protecting the "public health" and the "public welfare," which includes wildlife, parks, and farmland. According to EPA documents, Bush overruled...

EPA Ignores Advisers on Pollution Cap

Sets higher limit than own experts' recommendations

(Newser) - Ignoring the recommendations of its own scientists, the Environmental Protection Agency yesterday reset standards for pollution-forming ozone from cars and factories at a level critics say may cost thousands of lives. The new cap is lower than the old level but still far above the limit urged by EPA experts,...

Olympians Prepare Strategies for Beijing Smog

China promises clean air for Games, but teams are taking precautions

(Newser) - With the Summer Olympics set to begin Aug. 8 in one of the world’s smoggiest cities, competitors are looking for a Beijing edge. US athletes have been asking if they should train near busy highways to simulate Beijing’s noxious air, the New York Times reports, but trainers are...

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