Sunday, October 31, 2010

Air Pollution Alerts - October 31st, 2010






News & Information; Every Sunday
(Last on October 24th, 2010)

Science Daily, October 29th, 2010
Getting a Grip on CO2: Researchers 'See' How to Capture Carbon Dioxide.

Science Daily, October 29th, 2010
Troubled Islands: Hurricanes, Oil Spill and Sea Level Rise.

Indian Express, October 28th, 2010
NHAI wants flyovers, elevated road to unclog Gurgaon e-way.

Science Daily, October 28th, 2010
A Wiki for the Biofuels Research Community.

Science Daily, October 28th, 2010
Predicting Smoggiest Days: Experiments Improve Accuracy of Ozone Predictions in Air-Quality Models.

Nepal News, October 27th, 2010
ADB provides US$ 80 million for two development projects.

The Financial Express, October 27th, 2010
Bringing speed to bus rides.

Indian Express, October 26th, 2010
Last stop for Bluelines in Delhi: Dec 14.

Times of India, October 26th, 2010
Aerosols killing city slowly but surely.

Science Daily, October 26th, 2010
As Arctic Warms, Increased Shipping Likely to Accelerate Climate Change.

Science Daily, October 26th, 2010
Emissions from Consumption Outstrip Efficiency Savings in UK.

Thaindian News, October 26th, 2010
China’s Guangdong province bans barbeque stalls in 11 cities ahead of Asian Games.

Watts Up With That, October 25th, 2010
Soot ahoy! Ship traffic in the Arctic.

NTD, October 25th, 2010
New Air Monitoring System Set Up in Northern India.

TIME, October 25th, 2010
Transportation: The White House Puts Out Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy Vehicles.

Commodity Online, October 25th, 2010
Assessment of polluting industrial clusters in India.

In These Times, October 25th, 2010
Workers, and Labor Strategy, on the Move as Goods Transport Industry Spreads Out.

Xinhua Net, October 23rd, 2010
Guangzhou to remove 40 pct of vehicles from roads during Asian Games.

NPR, October 23rd, 2010
Checking The Math Behind The Greenhouse Effect.

Xinhua Net, October 23rd, 2010
China may ban smoking in urban public transport.

Science Daily, October 22nd, 2010
Value-Added Sulfur Scrubbing: Converting Acid Rain Chemicals Into Useful Products.

CNN, October 21st, 2010
Expect another winter of extremes.

Xinhua Net, October 20th, 2010
Road expansion project starts in north China to ease traffic congestion.

China Daily, October 20th, 2010
Beijing plans to control automobile numbers.

People's Daily, October 19th, 2010
1st car charging stations now operative in Guangxi.

Xinhua net, October 19th, 2010
China becomes global leader in clean energy.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Himalayan climate change threatens regional stability. Can India help?

Article published in Christian Science Monitor on October 25th, 2010

*********

It is widely known from satellite imagery and on-the-ground intelligence that the Arctic and parts of the Antarctic polar ice caps are melting, and melting fast. But what both scientists and the public don’t know enough about is the rapid melting of Earth’s third large reservoir of snow and ice – the glaciers of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau.

The regions surrounding the Himalayas – China, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan – could be in serious climate trouble. Warming temperatures and air pollutants are altering the climate – severely impacting the entire region’s monsoon system, which has driven those economies for thousands of years. Atmospheric pollution strains not just the ecological climate, but the region’s economic and political climates as well.

But there is good news. Reductions in "black carbon" emissions could limit near-term damage, and such reductions are both possible and vital.

India has taken recent steps to minimize this pollution by developing cleaner-burning cookstoves, putting it at the forefront of regional climate change. If India continues these initiatives, it could serve as a model for changing behavior, one stove at a time.

Melting Himalayan glaciers: the stats

Consider these statistics. Indian researchers say that the Himalayan glaciers are melting. In some places, the snowline has moved up 1,500 feet, seasonal snow cover has decreased, and winter snow melt has increased. A remote-sensing survey of over 1,300 Indian glaciers found an overall decrease in mass balance – the difference between growth and retreat – of 16 percent since 1962.

What emerges from these data is that the Himalayan glaciers provide us with an early warning of the climatic changes that are affecting the whole region. Recent studies show that the glaciers have retreated in some parts of the Himalayan region, which could be due to the tropospheric warming that has affected the monsoon patterns in the region.

The majority of Indians, however, don’t live in scientific studies and statistics. They live life in line with the extreme seasons and their famous monsoon. Precipitation during the monsoon is vital to the health of the Himalayan glaciers, as well as the downstream region’s agriculture.

Monsoons increasingly unpredictable

Yet climate data suggests the monsoon is becoming more unpredictable, translating to decreases in food production, scarcer water supplies, harsher cycles of flooding, and severe drought. Earlier this year, floods in Pakistan killed thousands and left millions homeless in one of the worst natural disasters the world has ever seen.

Over the past 50 years, according to data from the Indian Meteorological Department, the frequency and magnitude of extreme rainfall events has increased over central India during the monsoon, while moderate events have decreased.

This is a major problem. The moderate rainfall events are needed to feed crops and recharge aquifers, while extreme events often lead to flooding in both rural and urban areas. Scientific modeling suggests that the overall atmospheric circulation that drives the monsoon system is weakening, leading to extreme events early in the season, followed by increased droughts toward the end. Local rainfall records and ice core data also suggest a decrease in overall monsoon strength over the past century over the Himalayan region.

Science also confirms that the region is warming at two to three times the global average rate. Since 1900, the region’s average temperature has increased by 1.2 degrees Celsius, and most of this warming has occurred over the past 30 years. Extreme heat waves have become more frequent.

What's driving climate change in the region?

So what is driving the climate changes that affect the Himalayan region? Strong evidence points to two sources: 1) general global warming, the result of carbon dioxide buildup in the atmosphere; and 2) region-specific warming due to black carbon. This black carbon – emissions from unburned fuel and soot – are mainly emitted from India’s fleets of diesel vehicles, small brick kilns, cookstoves, and coal-based power plants.

Fortunately, unlike carbon dioxide, which stays in the atmosphere for centuries, black carbon falls out in a matter of days or weeks. And here is where India has an opportunity to combat this tremendous challenge.

Reducing black carbon emissions

To reduce the damages of these emissions, India could, for example, install particulate filters on its trucks and other diesel-thirsty equipment. It could distribute non-polluting cookstoves, and modernize brick kilns and coke ovens.

The density of coal-based power plants is high in the Indo-Gangetic plains, and the soot they emit affects the health of people living up to over a 10 mile radius from the plants. The air quality is affected for up to hundreds of miles, depending upon the meteorological conditions.

In the western part of the Indo-Gangetic plains, during pre-monsoon period, dust hits the region. Dust particles mix with the soot emissions from these power plants – a significant factor that must be understood when looking at the warming trend in the region. If we cannot find cleaner fuel than coal, we must at least use filters in power plant chimneys in more efficient ways.

Solving the problem within years

These moves could improve the region’s soot-driven glacier problems within a matter of years. These changes would then have a positive effect on the monsoon cycle and destructive weather patterns, lessening the threats to local economies that can undermine political stability in the region.

India has already taken important first steps. Last year, the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy announced the National Biomass Cook-stoves Initiative to develop and deploy more efficient, less-polluting cookstoves. And last month, the Indian government launched the National Carbon Aerosol Programme, which will focus on the impacts of aerosols on public health, rainfall patterns, and glacial health.

Time to act

It’s been very hard to reach international consensus on what nations should do to address climate change. Rich nations push for regulations. Developing nations argue that the timing will have drastic effects on their prospects for economic growth. As last year’s Copenhagen climate summit clearly demonstrated, there are no neat, just solutions.

But unfortunately, those nations whose citizens depend on the rains from the monsoons and consistent meltwater from the Himalayan glaciers can’t wait for a global climate agreement. The continuing ecological, economic, and political health of the Indian subcontinent demands immediate action, and the people of the subcontinent must respond, decisively and comprehensively.

Semil Shah is a senior adviser to The Clean Air Task Force. Dr. Sarath Guttikunda is an independent air quality researcher and Founder of UrbanEmissions.Info in New Delhi. Dr. Ramesh Singh is a former professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, and is currently a professor of Earth System Science and Remote Sensing at Chapman University.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Air Pollution Alerts - October 24th, 2010






News & Information; Every Sunday
(Last on October 17th, 2010)

Northern Voices Online, October 24th, 2010
Environmental Assessment of Industrial Clusters.

China World, October 24th, 2010
Urumqi invests big to tackle air pollution.

National Science Foundation, October 24th, 2010
Plants Play Larger Role Than Thought in Cleaning up Air Pollution.

Hindustan Times, October 23rd, 2010
Read the weather forecast? Now, read about air quality.

Deccan Herald, October 22nd, 2010
Know about air quality of any place at a click of a mouse.

Indian Express, October 22nd, 2010
Check air quality at a click of a mouse!

Sify News, October 22nd, 2010
Air quality forecast system in Delhi.

Times of India, October 22nd, 2010
Fog arrives, pollution leads to haze in Delhi.

Switch Board, October 21st, 2010
Upcoming Truck Carbon Pollution and Efficiency Standards are Good for Truckers and Consumers.

Wall Street Journal, October 21st, 2010
Beijing, Fighting Traffic, Considers Car Limits.

The Nature, October 20th, 2010
Cities lead the way in climate–change action.

MSNBC, October 20th, 2010
Chinese find development has big downside.

All Africa, October 20th, 2010
Challenges of Environmental Hazards on Public Health in Nigeria.

Hindustan Times, October 20th, 2010
Games over, pollution back.

The Hindu, October 19th, 2010
Can use of clean fuel alone check air pollution?

Huffington Post, October 19th, 2010
Energy: The Ugly Duckling of the Development World?

CNTN, October 18th, 2010
Cold fronts sweep into China.

East Day, October 11th, 2010
Air quality policies set to get tougher.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Air Pollution Alerts - October 17th, 2010






News & Information; Every Sunday
(Last on October 10th, 2010)

The Weekly Standard, October 16th, 2010
Brown China.

Financial Express, October 16th, 2010
Major air pollutant SPMs kill 10,000 people a year in city.

Vietnam Net, October 15th, 2010
Vehicle-emission centre to open.

Yonhap, October 14th, 2010
Guangzhou puts emphasis on 'bluer skies, cleaner water' ahead of Asiad.

MoNRE, October 14th, 2010
Vietnam urged to import coal to run thermo-power plants.

ASU, October 13th, 2010
Visiting professor on a quest to 'green' Mongolia.

City Fix, October 13th, 2010
Q&A with Dario Hidalgo, Part 1: Modernizing Public Transportation.

WRI, October 13th, 2010
New Study Reviews Major Bus Improvements in 13 Latin America and Asia Cities.

Environmental Technology, October 12th, 2010
Study reveals air quality in Beijing has improved.

Indian Express, October 12th, 2010
Pollution levels headed south.

Times of India, October 12th, 2010
Delhi’s air quality worsens, haze over city.

Australian Govt., October 12th, 2010
Australian air-quality technology for Commonwealth Games.

China Daily, October 11th, 2010
Fog blamed for Beijing's 'poor' air quality.

Economic Times, October 11th, 2010
Air at Games Village, venues polluted.

Hindustan Times, October 11th, 2010
32 killed as China suffers its worst pollution day.

Expo Daily, October 8th, 2010
Shanghai's air quality refreshes history.

Deccan Chronicle, October 6th, 2010
High levels of pollution choke Hyderabad,Vizag.

Vietnam Forum for Environmental Journalists, October 1st, 2010
Ministries discuss measures to control air pollution in Vietnam.

Friday, October 15, 2010

CWG Watch: Air Pollution in Delhi - Forecasts on October 15th, 2010

Today is the last day for this section, "CWG Watch - Air Pollution in Delhi" on this blog. In the future, there will be articles on the model performance during the CWG period and the future plans for extending this study to other cities. Please come back and check the reports and papers @ urbanemissions.info

The daily forecasts will continue to be posted here in the coming months.
****

The air quality forecasting system for the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi is now operational and issuing daily reports to inform on the movement of the criteria pollutants in the city. This blog is now dedicated to support delivery of this information for the next two weeks to support the Commonwealth Games activities in Delhi, 2010. Page is updated every morning with forecast information for that day and next day (48 hrs).

Among many results available for the public to view, access to the animations of hourly concentrations for the individual pollutants for a period of 48 hours is here. These are not archived - latest is animated here.





For the Commonwealth Games venues, click on the dates to access the forecast information for today (October 15th) and tomorrow (October 16th).



The above maps indicate the Air Quality Index (AQI) at the CWG venues, as a forecast from the models. Details on the modeling architecture and the system are available here.

Results from Previous day (October 14th, 2010).

Press coverage on air pollution in Delhi.


***********
Modeling team for this project is Aria Technologies SA and Leosphere SA (both from Paris, France). They have previously developed similar systems for the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 and the Turin Winter Olympic Games 2006, and have started working with the city of Rio de Janeiro, in preparation for the Olympic Games 2016.

************
Current air pollution levels at Delhi's four monitoring stations operated by CPCB
Full coverage on monitoring by multiple organizations, legislations, inventories, news, and documents related to the Commonwealth Games, is hosted by CAI-Asia
@ "Clean Air for Mega Events"

***********

In the blog, on air pollution in Delhi
***********

Articles from SIM-air working paper series on Air Pollution in Delhi

Thursday, October 14, 2010

CWG Watch: Air Pollution in Delhi - Forecasts on October 14th, 2010

Today is the last day of the CWG 2010 in Delhi, India. Since, this morning, the traffic has been very less in the city compared to the other days, due to closing down of a number of institutions, malls, schools, etc.

The air quality forecasting system for the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi is now operational and issuing daily reports to inform on the movement of the criteria pollutants in the city. This blog is now dedicated to support delivery of this information for the next two weeks to support the Commonwealth Games activities in Delhi, 2010. Page is updated every morning with forecast information for that day and next day (48 hrs).

Among many results available for the public to view, access to the animations of hourly concentrations for the individual pollutants for a period of 48 hours is here. These are not archived - latest is animated here.





For the Commonwealth Games venues, click on the dates to access the forecast information for today (October 14th) and tomorrow (October 15th).



The above maps indicate the Air Quality Index (AQI) at the CWG venues, as a forecast from the models. Details on the modeling architecture and the system are available here.

Results from Previous day (October 13th, 2010).

Press coverage on air pollution in Delhi.


***********
Modeling team for this project is Aria Technologies SA and Leosphere SA (both from Paris, France). They have previously developed similar systems for the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 and the Turin Winter Olympic Games 2006, and have started working with the city of Rio de Janeiro, in preparation for the Olympic Games 2016.

************
Current air pollution levels at Delhi's four monitoring stations operated by CPCB
Full coverage on monitoring by multiple organizations, legislations, inventories, news, and documents related to the Commonwealth Games, is hosted by CAI-Asia
@ "Clean Air for Mega Events"

***********

In the blog, on air pollution in Delhi
***********

Articles from SIM-air working paper series on Air Pollution in Delhi

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

CWG Watch: Air Pollution in Delhi - Forecasts on October 13th, 2010

The air quality forecasting system for the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi is now operational and issuing daily reports to inform on the movement of the criteria pollutants in the city. This blog is now dedicated to support delivery of this information for the next two weeks to support the Commonwealth Games activities in Delhi, 2010. Page is updated every morning with forecast information for that day and next day (48 hrs).

Among many results available for the public to view, access to the animations of hourly concentrations for the individual pollutants for a period of 48 hours is here. These are not archived - latest is animated here.





For the Commonwealth Games venues, click on the dates to access the forecast information for today (October 13th) and tomorrow (October 14th).



The above maps indicate the Air Quality Index (AQI) at the CWG venues, as a forecast from the models. Details on the modeling architecture and the system are available here.

Results from Previous day (October 11th, 2010).

Press coverage on air pollution in Delhi.


***********
Modeling team for this project is Aria Technologies SA and Leosphere SA (both from Paris, France). They have previously developed similar systems for the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 and the Turin Winter Olympic Games 2006, and have started working with the city of Rio de Janeiro, in preparation for the Olympic Games 2016.

************
Current air pollution levels at Delhi's four monitoring stations operated by CPCB
Full coverage on monitoring by multiple organizations, legislations, inventories, news, and documents related to the Commonwealth Games, is hosted by CAI-Asia
@ "Clean Air for Mega Events"

***********

In the blog, on air pollution in Delhi
***********

Articles from SIM-air working paper series on Air Pollution in Delhi

Monday, October 11, 2010

CWG Watch: Air Pollution in Delhi - Forecasts on October 11th, 2010

The air quality forecasting system for the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi is now operational and issuing daily reports to inform on the movement of the criteria pollutants in the city. This blog is now dedicated to support delivery of this information for the next two weeks to support the Commonwealth Games activities in Delhi, 2010. Page is updated every morning with forecast information for that day and next day (48 hrs).

Among many results available for the public to view, access to the animations of hourly concentrations for the individual pollutants for a period of 48 hours is here. These are not archived - latest is animated here.





For the Commonwealth Games venues, click on the dates to access the forecast information for today (October 11th) and tomorrow (October 12th).



The above maps indicate the Air Quality Index (AQI) at the CWG venues, as a forecast from the models. Details on the modeling architecture and the system are available here.

Results from Previous day (October 10th, 2010).

Press coverage on air pollution in Delhi.


***********
Modeling team for this project is Aria Technologies SA and Leosphere SA (both from Paris, France). They have previously developed similar systems for the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 and the Turin Winter Olympic Games 2006, and have started working with the city of Rio de Janeiro, in preparation for the Olympic Games 2016.

************
Current air pollution levels at Delhi's four monitoring stations operated by CPCB
Full coverage on monitoring by multiple organizations, legislations, inventories, news, and documents related to the Commonwealth Games, is hosted by CAI-Asia
@ "Clean Air for Mega Events"

***********

In the blog, on air pollution in Delhi
***********

Articles from SIM-air working paper series on Air Pollution in Delhi

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Air Pollution Alerts - October 10th, 2010






News & Information; Every Sunday
(Last on October 03, 2010)

PNAS, October, 2010
Attribution of climate forcing to economic sectors.

The Hindu, October 10th, 2010
Buslines from Ashok Leyland in India.

Chinfographics, October 10th, 2010
The Long Tail – 60 Chinese Cities with a Population of Over 1 Million.

The Hindu, October 10th, 2010
Games lanes may be here to stay.

The Australian, October 8th, 2010
Games athletes wake to pollution haze.

UI News, October 8th, 2010
UI researchers help forecast air quality for India’s Commonwealth Games.

Grist Magazine, October 7th, 2010
The Clean Air Act has been cheaper and more effective than industry predicts, again and again.

News Center, October 7th, 2010
Beijing organisers switch on lights as smog descends.

CSE, October 7th, 2010
Alarm over worsening air quality and traffic congestion in Hyderabad, city needs to do much more in the interest of public health.

Indian Express, October 6th, 2010
Bad food to ignorant drivers: On Day 2 of Games, the complaint book looks full.

Indian Express, October 6th, 2010
Traffic police restrict entry of goods vehicles.

PR Log, October 6th, 2010
Air Pollution Control Market for Coal Fired Power Plants to 2020.

MICP, October 5th, 2010
Possible joint efforts on Reducing air pollution in Ulaanbaatar.

Times of India, October 5th, 2010
Traffic police site to give updates on roadblocks.

Environmental Leader, October 5th, 2010
UN Estimates Annual Global Environmental Costs Equal $6 Trillion.

LB Post, October 4th, 2010
Commission to Meet Wednesday on Clean Air Action Plan.

Nature Geoscience, September, 2010
Short Lived Uncertainty?

IIASA, September 23rd, 2010
Subsidies and financing could change cooking fuel use in India.

NY Times, September 23rd, 2010
A Path to Cleaner Cooking in Africa.

NY Times, September 21st, 2010
Prospects Rise for Clean Cooking in Poor Places.

CWG Watch: Air Pollution in Delhi - Forecasts on October 10th, 2010

The air quality forecasting system for the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi is now operational and issuing daily reports to inform on the movement of the criteria pollutants in the city. This blog is now dedicated to support delivery of this information for the next two weeks to support the Commonwealth Games activities in Delhi, 2010. Page is updated every morning with forecast information for that day and next day (48 hrs).

Among many results available for the public to view, access to the animations of hourly concentrations for the individual pollutants for a period of 48 hours is here. These are not archived - latest is animated here.





For the Commonwealth Games venues, click on the dates to access the forecast information for today (October 10th) and tomorrow (October 11th).



The above maps indicate the Air Quality Index (AQI) at the CWG venues, as a forecast from the models. Details on the modeling architecture and the system are available here.

Results from Previous day (October 9th, 2010).

Press coverage on air pollution in Delhi.


***********
Modeling team for this project is Aria Technologies SA and Leosphere SA (both from Paris, France). They have previously developed similar systems for the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 and the Turin Winter Olympic Games 2006, and have started working with the city of Rio de Janeiro, in preparation for the Olympic Games 2016.

************
Current air pollution levels at Delhi's four monitoring stations operated by CPCB
Full coverage on monitoring by multiple organizations, legislations, inventories, news, and documents related to the Commonwealth Games, is hosted by CAI-Asia
@ "Clean Air for Mega Events"

***********

In the blog, on air pollution in Delhi
***********

Articles from SIM-air working paper series on Air Pollution in Delhi