The United Nations describes net zero as “cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed from the atmosphere, by oceans and forests for instance.” Climate change, the negative consequences of increased greenhouse gas emissions, is a rapidly growing threat to humanity and nature and immediate action is required.   However, there is a common misconception that any progress towards achieving net zero will also be beneficial in reducing local air pollution. Likewise, that misconception extends to believing that reducing local ai ..read more

With the Unichiller 220Tw CO2, Huber Kältemaschinenbau presents another milestone in environmentally friendly refrigeration technology. The chiller uses CO2 as a refrigerant. CO2 or carbon dioxide (also known as R744) is a natural component of air and has been proven in refrigeration since the 19th century. The colorless gas liquefied under pressure, has no ozone depletion potential (ODP = 0), and has a negligible greenhouse gas potential with a GWP = 1. If, for example, 1 kg of CO2 enters the atmosphere through a leak in the refrigerating circuit, this is 3780 times less damaging than with th ..read more

A new Oxfordshire air quality website has launched today – providing air quality guidance and resources across the county. The website (www.oxonair.uk) which has been created in partnership between Oxford City, Cherwell, West Oxfordshire, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, and Oxfordshire County Council – aims to integrate all relevant air quality-related information from all district councils in Oxfordshire under one single platform. The launch of the joint website demonstrates each Council’s commitment to tackling air pollution across the county. In March 2021, Oxford City Council w ..read more

Reducing ammonia poses biggest challenge. Emissions of key air pollutants monitored under EU law continued to decline across most EU Member States maintaining a trend since 2005. However, the most problematic area remains reducing ammonia emissions, emitted mostly by the agriculture sector. The latest annual European Environment Agency (EEA) analysis of air pollution data provided by EU Member States is published. In 2021, 13 Member States met their respective 2020-2029 national emission reduction commitments under the EU’s National Emission reduction Commitments Directive (NECD) for each of ..read more

The EU’s landmark green shipping law will still leave the bloc dependent on fossil fuels beyond 2050, new Transport & Environment (T&E) analysis shows. The review of the EU’s FuelEU Maritime also shows that EU shipping will fall behind where it needs to be in every decade up to and beyond 2050, meaning the sector will almost certainly overshoot the target of keeping global heating to 1.5 degrees. In April this year, the EU passed the world’s most ambitious green shipping law to date, which among other things set a mandatory target for the sector of 2% green e-fuels by 2034 ..read more

Air pollution, both ambient and indoor, is one of the most significant causes of poor health for people around the world. The WHO estimates that the combined effect of ambient and household air pollution contributes to some seven million deaths annually worldwide. In Europe the European Environment Agency estimates that 97% of urban populations live in areas with PM2.5 levels above the latest WHO guideline limits, and this is associated with 238,000 excess deaths annually. The European Public Health Alliance estimates that health costs related to air pollution amounts to some 166 billion euros ..read more

One of the world’s leading developers of air quality monitoring and forecasting technology is urging caution when interpreting commonly used methods for displaying air quality data. The overall goal of the company Airly, is to make air quality visible and understandable for all. However, Airly CEO Wiktor Warchalowski says he is concerned that air quality data can be displayed in a number of different formats, which could be confusing or even misleading. The measurement values from air quality sensors are usually of greatest value to members of the public when they are displayed in a simple ..read more

Air pollution is described by the European Environment Agency as the biggest environmental risk in Europe. It’s a silent killer, but its effects are everywhere. Air pollution is linked to an estimated 300,000 early deaths across Europe every year, and a staggering range of health problems including lung cancer, childhood cases of asthma, heart disease, Parkinson’s and dementia. Air pollution attacks every organ in the body and the effects last a whole lifetime. Children breathing polluted air today will see their future health impacted in 60-70 years from now, with the associated cost burden o ..read more

Serving as a reminder that air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths every year in the UK, Clean Air Day 2023 will take place on Thursday 15th June. “At Airly, we strongly support the aims of Clean Air Day and urge everyone to participate,” explains Airly COO Jonathan Gartside. “The UK Government recognises that air pollution is the largest environmental health risk that we face today, but there is still a long way to go, so we hope that recent advances in monitoring technology will be exploited to accelerate improvements in air quality.” Organised by Global Action Plan, the Clean Air Day web ..read more

Multiple North American states issue air quality alerts after severe Canadian wildfires send plumes of smoke south of the border. © Raphael Lovaski https://unsplash.com/photos/cxo9HGfhEe0 Orange haze, shrouded landmarks and heavily polluted air. These are the scenes many Americans are faced with after severe wildfires in Canada continue to travel south, blanketing northeastern states since yesterday.  Air quality alerts were quickly issued by the state of New York and others including Massachusetts and Connecticut. Advice from local authorities soon followed, recommending that all outdoor ..read more