Saturday, January 28, 2012

India's Performance Declining on Air Quality in 2012 (EPI, Yale University)

Yale published the latest on the Environmental Performance Index for 2012, including some trend analysis, which is very interesting.

India is the ranked worst among the big Asian countries (below a clip from the Hindu, January 28th, 2012).



The trend analysis for India shows, lower performance, with some improvement (click to enlarge view or check under country profiles on EPI page).

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Scavenging for Charcoal Fuel in the Rubbish of Manila (National Geographic)

Published in National Geographic on January 25th, 2012. This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge.

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Thousands of urban slum dwellers including these in the Ulingan community in the Philippines capital of Manila (map) live amid filth and swirls of toxic smoke as they eke out a living making charcoal from wood scavenged from nearby garbage dumps and construction sites.

The conditions of slums near Manila Bay are unhealthy enough—the Ulingans live next to a rubbish dump. But the rudimentary process of making charcoal in open pits exposes the squatters to harmful emissions such as as carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, and soot, as well as chemicals when burning treated wood. The result is a myriad of respiratory illnesses and heart disease.

The plight of the poor who scavenge Manila's trash heaps underscores why United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has declared 2012 the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. Energy, said Ban, is "the golden thread that connects economic growth, increased social equity, and preserving the environment." More than 2.7 billion people worldwide cook on wood, charcoal, dung, coal, or agricultural residues on simple traditional stoves or open fires, and 1.4 billion have no access to electricity at all. The vast majority of the world's energy-poor people live in Asia and the Pacific islands.

(Related: "The Solvable Problem of Energy Poverty")

Although energy is essential for development, it is not sufficient without programs that help the poor to increase their incomes, concluded a report released last week by the UN Development Program.

The vicious energy poverty cycle is clearly visible in Manila, where many children are held out of school by their families to make charcoal. Amid hazardous conditions, children toil; this girl is searching for nails in charcoal pits to resell for a few pesos. Researchers have identified more than 35 diseases in garbage-scavenging areas, including cholera, dysentery, malaria, skin disorders, tuberculosis, and typhoid.

Small-scale charcoal production in the developing world is usually illegal and unregulated. It occurs not only in urban slums like these in the Philippines, but in rural areas across the globe. For example, charcoal production and the resulting deforestation in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is considered a leading threat to mountain gorillas.

Air Pollution in Delhi in December, 2011

Winter pollution in Delhi is the worst for changes in meteorological conditions and changes in pollution sources. Recent news coverage in NY Times and the Hindu.

Figures below present the measured PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations in December, 2011. Click on the images to enlarge view.





My interview on CNN International, aired on January 3rd, 2012.



For more information see the air pollution in Delhi page.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Snowfall in Punjab, Winter rain in Rajasthan: An Arctic Link to an Extended Winter (Live Mint)

today..
From Mr. Lalloobhoy Battliwala

The story below mentions first snow in Punjab in over half a century. I heard about a rainstorm in Rajasthan from a laborer.

Climate changes. So?


********
An Arctic link to an extended winter
On 10 January, when the index dipped to its negative phase, snow dramatically fell over much of Europe, India and Pakistan - Jacob P. Koshy (Live Mint, India)

New Delhi: Blame a combination of tropical storms and a whimsical drop in air pressure in the distant Arctic for the surprise snowfall in Punjab, the first in over half a century of the state’s meteorological history.

While the weather over northern India may have been mild for most of the winter months, international forecast agencies and analysts suggest that the January chill over north India is likely to be in line with global trends of a long-drawn winter that is likely to extend well into February.

While it’s well known that snow in Europe closely ties in with the intensity of winters in India, international interest in the relationship between global warming and its impact on ice cover in the Arctic has dramatically increased scientific scrutiny of how weather patterns here - such as fluctuations in atmospheric pressure, wind speeds, sea surface temperatures - may have a global impact on weather in far-flung continents.
This scrutiny has led climate scientists to develop and monitor the so-called Arctic Oscillation (AO) index, a barometer of the variation in pressure over the Arctic region.

When the AO index is positive, surface pressure is low in the polar region. This helps the middle-latitude jet stream (gusts of warm air above the Mediterranean) to blow strongly and consistently from west to east and trap the cold Arctic air within the polar region.

When the AO index is negative -as it is now-there tends to be high pressure in the polar region, weaker zonal winds and greater movement of frigid polar air into middle latitudes.

While the pressures were rising and positive until January, there’s been a steady, unexpected dip in the index since 4 January.

In fact on 10 January, when the index dipped to its negative phase, snow dramatically fell over much of Europe, India and Pakistan.

Moreover, current predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center, as well as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts suggest that this negative phase is likely to last well into January.

“They could be wrong too, because AO is quite erratic that way. But these models’ ability to predict the AO patterns over the next week or fortnight has considerably improved over the last few years,” said Madhavan Rajeevan, meteorologist at Indian Space Research Organisation.

Last year, too, the index was negative throughout January and triggered a longer, but relatively mild winter over India.

For most of the 20th century, during which systematic global climate records were maintained, the AO index was usually positive. Since the 1970s, almost coinciding with global concerns over greenhouse gases and warming, the index has seen fluctuating patterns.

“There are some correlations between the Indian monsoon and AO index, but it’s still to be well fleshed out, since the fluctuations of the ’70s in the ice cover (over the Arctic) are being closely monitored and they seem to be more erratic,” according to Rajeevan. “It’s not known why.”

Scientists at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that they didn’t monitor the AO index daily.

“Arctic seasons are known to have global repercussions, but given that hailstorms and blizzards aren’t too frequent over India, we only monitor Arctic patterns for monsoon,” said D.S. Pai, director (forecasting) at IMD.

Consistently low temperatures over January and February could affect India’s rabi or winter crop. The agriculture ministry has already issued an advisory that stronger hailstorms and colder weather could affect some of the oilseed and cotton crop, though there was unlikely to be significant damage to the key wheat crop, which is the staple of India’s rabi season.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Emissions Inventory for Pune

Annual emissions for the base year 2010 are estimated at ~36,600 tons of PM10, ~16,600 tons of PM2.5, ~3,600 tons of SO2, ~127,500 of NOx, ~438,000 tons of CO, and ~13.4 million tons of CO2.



DOM = domestic; TR = transport; RD = road dust; WB = waste burning; CON = construction; QR = quarries; BK = brick kilns; GS+IND = generator sets and industries




Gridded vehicular emissions inventory for PM2.5 is presented below.



For full details, visit the SIM-air Working Papers Series.



Sunday, January 22, 2012

Air Pollution News & Alerts - January 22nd, 2012






News & Information; Every Sunday
(Last on January 15th, 2012)

Scientific American, January 22nd, 2012
Worried About Air Pollution? Don't Hide Indoors.

Reuters, January 21st, 2012
Beijing begins measuring tiny air pollutants.

Climate Himalaya, January 20th, 2012
Cuts in Non-CO2 Pollutants May Slow Climate Change.

China Daily, January 20th, 2012
Air is thick with smog complaints.

Dawn.Com, January 20th, 2012
The rising cost of climate change.

China Daily, January 18th, 2012
Tougher pollution law promised in two years.

Times of India, January 18th, 2012
Silent killers in Ahmedabad.

NRDC Switchboard, January 18th, 2012
Save Lives and Keep Extreme Weather in Check by Cutting Smog, Soot, and CO2 Pollution.

NRDC Switchboard, January 18th, 2012
Cutting black carbon--and slowing climate change--with cleaner cookstoves and cleaner diesel.

Shanghai Daily, January 17th, 2012
City pledges 10% of buses to be green by end of 2015.

The Economic Times, January 17th, 2012
How China Managed Inclusive Eco-friendly Growth.

Nature, January 17th, 2012
Pollutants key to climate fix.

China Daily, January 17th, 2012
Study: Urban areas lax on pollution reporting.

Bloomberg Business Week, January 17th, 2012
Hong Kong Says New Air Quality Objectives May Start in 2014.

New York Times, January 16th, 2012
Climate Proposal Puts Practicality Ahead of Sacrifice.

Waste Management World, January 16th, 2012
The Garbage King.

The Guardian, January 16th, 2012
NGOs upbeat over China's environmental transparency progress.

The Boston Globe, January 16th, 2012
The doctor prescribes clean air.

China.Org, January 16th, 2012
Beijing to plant millions of trees against smog.

The Economist on Energy in India: The Future is Black

today..
From Mr. Lalloobhoy Battliwala

Energy - anything and everything to do with the production, transport, trade, and use of coal, oil, gas, electricity, even wood and other biomass for energy - is the signature failure of Indian governance. Ignorance (sometimes deliberate), secrecy, hubris, stupidity, combine to 1) keep half the India in the dark (always or occasionally) and 2) bleed India's resources (from the taxpayer or the user).

We have gone on muddling through and wasting time for all these years, is there any reason to change?

Does anybody care?

"If the test is avoiding a national catastrophe, India’s power sector will pass it. But if it is delivering the infrastructure that can allow the economy to grow at close to a double-digit pace and industrialise rapidly, India is failing."

It's not just power delivery. Everything in energy is failing.

********

Only the images from article are posted below. Read the article on the Economist.







India untangling !!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Indian PV Plant for the Subcontinent

today..
From Mr. Lalloobhoy Battliwala

In the story below "Modi suggested to the Central Government to consider setting up huge solar power projects on Western Indo-Pak border, which can be managed by the Border Security Force (BSF)."

Since Gujarat will be in surplus, since moving huge quantities of power from the border to Pak grid will no doubt be easier and cheaper than to move it to Delhi (Gandhinagar to Gandhidham is longer than the border to Hyderabad or Karachi), and since Pakistan has severe power shortages, I raise a toast to Modi and propose a $5 billion, 2000 MW PV plant with grid connecting India and Pakistan.

Mr Modi claims he raised $450 billion for Gujarat. He should've no difficulty raising $20 billion for Gujarat investment in subcontinent peace and prosperity.

Or Dr Singh can put the deal on the table and have the rest of the world finance it.

*********

Gujarat to have 7,000 Mw surplus power by end 2012: CM
Business Standard Reporter / Mumbai/ Ahmedabad Jan 10, 2012, 00:28 IST

As an ambitious move by the Gujarat Government, the state is aiming to generate 7,000 megawatt of surplus power by the end of 2012, the state chief minister Narendra Modi said at the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas – 2012 conclave held in Jaipur on Monday.

"Gujarat had a shortage of power to the tune of 2,000 Mw in 2001. The country continues to face a similar situation now, but Gujarat has now become, a power surplus state. Gujarat currently has 4,000 Mw of suplus electricity and it will generate 7,000 Mw of surplus power by the end of 2012," a state government statement quoted Modi as saying.

In his speech at the conclave, Modi said, "Jyotigram scheme of the state government provides round-the-clock power in every nook and corner of Gujarat and on Monday state has become, a power surplus state."

Speaking on the solar power capacities in Gujarat, Modi mentioned that the state had become a global capital of solar energy generation. "Gujarat is the first state in India to have a solar energy policy which was later adopted by the Government of India. World’s largest solar park with 3,000 Mw of capacity is being established in Gujarat jointly with Clinton Foundation," said Modi.

Modi suggested to the Central Government to consider setting up huge solar power projects on Western Indo-Pak border, which can be managed by the Border Security Force (BSF).

Speaking on the global economic slowdown, the chief minister apprised that Gujarat took the initiative to host global investors' summit in 2011, which a record inflow of investment commitments to the tune of US $ 450 billion (approx. Rs 23.72 lakh crore at the current exchange rate).

He also advocated for a roundtable conference of all the States to be convened by the Prime Minister, joined by prominent economists and policy makers to address the economic slowdown.

Addressing a gathering of non-resident Indians including leaders of Gujarati community abroad, Modi shared the growth story and approach of the state towards development. He informed that according to a Government of India’s survey, Gujarat has 72 per cent employment rate, whereas rest of India stands at 28 per cent. He also proposed that Gujarat should host the 2015 Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas to mark the centenary of Mahatama Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa on January 9, 2015.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

SIM-air Paper No.37: Integrated Air Pollution Modeling for Pune, India

This study under the SIM-air program was initiated to better understand the sources of air pollution in the Pune city and to support an integrated dialogue between local pollution management and climate policy in a co-benefits framework.

Annual emissions for the base year 2010 are estimated at ~36,600 tons of PM10, ~16,600 tons of PM2.5, ~3,600 tons of SO2, ~127,500 of NOx, ~438,000 tons of CO, and ~13.4 million tons of CO2. The dispersion modeling results for PM10 annual average concentrations, overlaid on the gridded population at the same resolution are utilized for calculating the health impacts, estimated at ~3,600 premature deaths in 2010. Six “what-if” interventions were modeled for 2020 with expected benefit of 39% reduction in premature mortality and mitigation of ~3.0 million tons of CO2/yr.

Download the paper @ SIM-air working paper series.



Air Pollution in Ahmedabad

Silent Killers - This might be the best city to live in India but there are a few black spots that need to be dealt with. One contentious issue is pollution.

Link to the article @ Times of India

Contrary to popular belief, vehicular pollution on city roads and industries emitting black smoke from chimneys are not the only pollutants. According to researchers, there are many more 'culprits' that pollute the air we breathe. Even a brick kiln located outside Bopal or a power plant in Gandhinagar will be capable of polluting the city's ambient air quality.

These are silent pollutants which emit particulate matter of less than 10 micrometers in size (PM10). Power plants, dusty roads and brick kilns are some of the other pollutants.

These factors were highlighted by a study named 'Urban air pollution and co-benefits analysis in India' published recently for six Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Pune, Indore and Chennai.

The study was conducted by New Delhi-based research group UrbanEmissions.Info to understand the sources of air pollution in these cities and also projected pollution rate in 2020. As per the study, all six cities exceed the annual ambient standard of 60 ug/ m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) of PM10.

In 2003, the city was branded as the most polluted in the country. Since then many changes have been made like introduction of CNG autorickshaws and BRTS. But, the PM10 threat is yet to be addressed effectively. The researchers say that BRTS and its cycle track could hold the key to resolving this issue in future.

Sarath Guttikunda, founder of UrbanEmissions.Info who also developed statistical tools for the project told TOI, "Ahmedabad has a high level of PM10. Here, pollution comes from a variety of sources - power plants and brick kilns surrounding the district. We often believe that vehicles moving in immediate surroundings contribute to the pollution in cities. However, a plant or a kiln away from the city can also affect Ahmedabad considering the wind direction."

Guttikunda added, "While Chennai has almost the same size and more industries, sea breeze blows PM10 away from the city, reducing the suspended particulates in the air. Going by the PM10 levels in Ahmedabad, the estimated premature deaths due to pollution is likely to be 4,950 as compared to 3,950 in Chennai."

The Pollutants

The five main pollutants responsible for majority of the health hazards in Indian cities are particulates (PM), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3). According to the study, consequences of exposure to these pollutants range from premature mortality to aggravated morbidity effects such as respiratory problems, asthma, chronic bronchitis and oxygen deficiency in blood.

The Solution

As per the study, the need of the hour is an air quality management plan which looks at a mix of policies to promote public transport, walking and cycling, improve efficiencies of industries, power plants, and brick kilns, and controls dust on the roads, for better air quality in the cities.

The study also highlighted the fact that a better transport system such as BRTS and less dependency on open burning for cooking or waste disposal is expected to reduce pollutants in air. While Ahmedabad emitted 35,100 tons of PM10, it is expected to decrease a bit in a decade and reach to 31,800 in 2020, says the study

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Update: December, 2012

A journal article is now published in the Atmospheric Environment

Monday, January 16, 2012

Targetting Air Pollution for Climate Benefits !!

Published in Science Daily on January 13th, 2012, based on Drew Schindell et al., 2012, in Science Magazine

Simultaneously Mitigating Near-Term Climate Change and Improving Human Health and Food Security.

*********

Researchers at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the University of York have played a key role in a new study that shows that implementing 14 key air pollution control measures could slow the pace of global warming, save millions of lives and boost agricultural production.

The study by an international team, which also included scientists from King's College London and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, identifies 14 measures targeting methane and black carbon emissions that could slow global mean warming by approximately 0.5ºC by 2050. The measures could also prevent between 700,000 and 4.7 million premature deaths each year and increase global crop yields by between 30 million and 135 million tonnes per season.

While all regions of the world would benefit, avoided warming is greatest in central and northern Asia, southern Africa and around the Mediterranean, total numbers of avoided premature deaths are greatest in Asia and Africa and the greatest total tonnage gains in crop production are estimated to occur in China, India and the US, followed by Pakistan and Brazil. Countries in South Asia and the Sahel region of Africa could see considerable reduction in the disruption of rainfall patterns.

The research published this week in the journal Science was led by Drew Shindell of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City.

Dr Johan Kuylenstierna, the Director of SEI at York, said: "All 14 measures are based on existing technologies and can be implemented immediately, so do not require long development processes. The measures maximize climate benefits but would also have important 'win-win' benefits for human health and agriculture."

Dr Kevin Hicks, at SEI, added: "The motivation for taking action will vary from country to country and region to region. In some, climate change will be the main concern but in others, air quality may well take precedence."

Recently published articles on black carbon

NRDC Switchboard, January 18th, 2012
Save Lives and Keep Extreme Weather in Check by Cutting Smog, Soot, and CO2 Pollution.

NRDC Switchboard, January 18th, 2012
Cutting black carbon--and slowing climate change--with cleaner cookstoves and cleaner diesel.

Nature, January 17th, 2012
Pollutants key to climate fix.

New York Times, January 16th, 2012
Climate Proposal Puts Practicality Ahead of Sacrifice.

India launches "Black Carbon Research Initiative".

ACP, April, 2011
Black Carbon on Tibetean Plateau and Himalayas.

Black carbon, a product of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels or biomass such as wood or agricultural crop residues, damages human health by entering the lungs and exacerbating a number of respiratory diseases. It also absorbs radiation from the sun causing the atmosphere to warm and rainfall patterns to shift and reduces the reflectivity of bright surfaces, such as ice and deserts, a process that hastens global warming. Methane is a precursor to ground-level or lower atmosphere ozone, a component of health-sapping smog, and is also a potent greenhouse gas. Ground level ozone at current levels also damages plants and reduces agricultural yields in sensitive areas.

Dr Lisa Emberson, of SEI, said: ''Ground level ozone is a particular problem in areas such as South Asia which is particularly vulnerable to food insecurity and climate change."

Co-author of the study, Professor Martin Williams from the Environmental Research Group at King's College London, added: "Measures taken now to reduce carbon dioxide emissions will not have any effect on the global climate for another 40-50 years. We have shown that there are things we can do to begin to mitigate the temperature increases already being seen.''

"The combination of methane and black carbon measures along with substantial carbon dioxide emissions reductions has a high probability of limiting global mean warming to <2ºC during the next 60 years, something which neither set of emissions reductions achieves on its own."

Professor David Fowler, of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, added: "These control measures represent many win -- win options with benefits for human health and climate as well as reducing waste, for example with the methane controls."

Black carbon and methane pollutants come from a wide variety of sources and the 14 measures identified by the study have all been successfully applied in different parts of the world.

For methane, the key strategies the scientists considered in their analysis were capturing gas that would otherwise escape from coal mines and oil rigs, reducing leakage from long-distance gas pipelines, preventing methane emissions in city landfills, updating city wastewater treatment plants, aerating rice paddies more frequently, and limiting emissions on farms from manure.

For black carbon, the strategies analyzed include installing particle filters in diesel vehicles, keeping high-emitting vehicles off the road, upgrading cook stoves and boilers to cleaner burning types, installing more efficient kilns for brick production, upgrading coke ovens and banning agricultural burning.

The research team used sophisticated emission, air quality and climate models (e.g. IIASA GAINS, NASA GISS and ECHAM) to estimate the impact of emissions reductions. The modelling shows that the benefits from the methane reductions would be widespread because methane is evenly distributed throughout the atmosphere. The methane measures if fully implemented will to large global climate and agriculture benefits and relatively small human health benefits, all with high confidence and worldwide distribution.

The black carbon measures are likely to provide substantial global climate benefits, but uncertainties are much larger. There is more certainty for the black carbon measures concerning the large regional human health benefits as well as reductions in regional rainfall disruptions, ice melting in both the Arctic and the Himalayas and improvements in regional agricultural yields.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Air Pollution News & Alerts - January 15th, 2012






News & Information; Every Sunday
(Last on January 8th, 2012)

Times of India, January 15th, 2012
Country on wheels: Indian auto sector is 7th largest in world.

The State Column, January 15th, 2012
In fight against global warming, NASA calls for reduction of black carbon.

AFP, January 15th, 2012
China sets pace for smoggy Hong Kong: think-tank.

The Financial Express, January 14th, 2012
Making the city liveable.

The Economist, January 14th, 2012
Chinese air pollution - Clearing the air?

Info Mongolia, January 13th, 2012
Air pollution fees from the motor vehicles has been started to collect in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

SciDev.net, January 13th, 2012
Emissions cuts also offer quick health and crop benefits.

Science Daily, January 13th, 2012
Smart Targeting of Pollution Sources Could Save Lives and Climate.

The Guardian, January 13th, 2012
How to tackle the climate, health and food crises, all at the same time.

China Daily, January 13th, 2012
Capital begins hourly updates on air pollution.

China Daily, January 13th, 2012
Beijing to put clean-air plan into action.

Outcome Magazine, January 12th, 2012
Bowing to pressure, Beijing begins hourly smog data.

Reuters, January 12th, 2012
Investors say private sector must tackle climate change.

National Post, January 12th, 2012
Blue-skying in Beijing.

Science Daily, January 12th, 2012
What Can Be Done to Slow Climate Change?

The World Bank, January 12th, 2012
Green Transport Helps Build Low-carbon Cities in China.

Triple Pundits, January 11th, 2012
Air Pollution in South Asia Reaches Epic Levels.

The Telegraph, January 11th, 2012
Is Hong Kong's pollution driving expats away?

The Guardian, January 11th, 2012
How children in China's urban jungle are reconnecting with nature.

Economic Times, January 11th, 2012
Climate change: India's informal economy neglected.

Xinhua Net, January 10th, 2012
PM2.5: a gauge easy to monitor but hard to control.

Oil & Gas Journal, January 10th, 2012
EIA forecasts oil, gas demand increases through 2013.

Times of India, January 10th, 2012
Bangalore sets benchmark for popularizing public buses.

The Green Collective, January 10th, 2012
Cutting Air Pollution & Strengthening Information Transparency in China.

The Globe and Mail, January 10th, 2012
Clearing the air over Beijing’s pollution.

Road.CC, January 10th, 2012
Sustrans leads calls for London mayor to use walking and cycling to fight air pollution.

Biodiesel Magazine, January 10th, 2012
Company advocates for the use of biodiesel at power plants.

China.Org, January 10th, 2012
Car plates may be cut to help air.

India Today, January 9th, 2012
Delhi petrol pumps spew cancerous fumes.

Ends Europe, January 9th, 2012
Norway sets out its Nordic council agenda.

Indian Express, January 2nd, 2012
IIT-B centre to focus on challenges of climate change.

Sunday, January 08, 2012

Delhi Choking in its Pollution (CNN)

Air Pollution News & Alerts - January 8th, 2012






News & Information; Every Sunday
(Last on January 1st, 2012)

Brookings, January, 2012
Mongolia’s Quest to Balance Human Development in its Booming Mineral-Based Economy.

China Daily, January 9th, 2012
Beijing air gets 'better' but still short of target.

Reuters, January 8th, 2012
Hong Kong air pollution at worst levels ever.

UB Post, January 8th, 2012
Waste not the Waste.

Deccan Herald, January 8th, 2012
Fast lane in Corbusier’s Chandigarh.

The Hindu, January 8th, 2012
India's blind love for cars.

The Telegraph, January 8th, 2012
China: The rise of the 'Precious Snowflakes'.

India Today, January 8th, 2012
Bus Rapid Transit in Delhi is on Break until Relook.

Deccan Herald, January 8th, 2012
The big picture.

Financial Express, January 7th, 2012
A case of skewed priorities in Dkaka.

Evolution, January 7th, 2012
Peking University team develops method for modeling historical global black carbon emissions from motor vehicles with reduced uncertainty.

Wall Street Journal, January 6th, 2012
Beijing to Publish More Sensitive Air Data.

BBC, January 6th, 2012
Pollution rise 'worsens' South Asia's winter smog.

India Today, January 6th, 2012
Delhi witnesses 30 per cent rise in respiratory diseases due to high pollution and chill.

NY Times, January 6th, 2012
China to Release More Data on Air Pollution in Beijing.

The Live Mint, January 6th, 2012
Green cars headline auto show, but India not ready.

Business Standard, January 6th, 2012
Getting urban transport on track.

Global Times, January 5th, 2012
PM2.5 ‘affordable’ to monitor.

Shanghai Daily, January 4th, 2012
Shanghai agrees to pay for special air quality equipment.

China.Org, January 4th, 2012
New year in Shanghai starts with a gray day.

Philippine Information Agency, January 4th, 2012
DENR cites clean air initiatives.

MSNBC, January 4th, 2012
Will the electric car be closer to mass market?

NY Times, January 4th, 2012
A Conversation With: Air Pollution Expert Dr. Gunasekar.

NPR, January 4th, 2012
Indonesian Economy Booms, Its Infrastructure Groans.

CNN Go, January 4th, 2012
India to get world's largest urban transport podcar system.

Xinhua Net, January 4th, 2012
Learn from EU energy "road map".

Times of India, January 3rd, 2012
Bajaj unveils small car RE60, promises 35 km per litre.

The Guardian, January 3rd, 2012
China's city dwellers to breathe unhealthy air 'for another 20-30 years'.

CNN, January 3rd, 2012
India's capital is choking on its own success as pollution envelopes the city.

Financial Express, January 2nd, 2012
Utilising the urban underground space.

Clean Technica, January 2nd, 2012
Last Minute Order Delays Air Pollution Cuts Which Could Save 34,000 people a year in US.

January 2nd, 2012
How pollution mounts sweeping attack on city.

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Air Pollution New & Alerts - January 1st, 2012






News & Information; Every Sunday
(Last on December 25th, 2011)

DNA India, January 1st, 2012
Ahmedabad 2012: What's on cards?

The Hindu, December 31st, 2011
‘Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg regions seriously impacted by mining, power projects'.

UNEP, December 31st, 2011
UNEP's Year in Review 2011: January to June.

China Daily, December 30th, 2011
City with worst air pollution vows change.

Ghana Business News, December 30th, 2011
New bamboo charcoal technology promises to jump-start Africa’s bio-energy sector.

Eco Business, December 30th, 2011
Climate change endangers millions in South Asia.

The Economist, December 30th, 2011
From Macau to Laos, with China in between.

Times of India, December 29th, 2011
Diesel generators, stone quarries, brick kilns adding to pollution level.

Economic Times, December 29th, 2011
Euro-III fuel to be phased out in 7 cities from March 31st, 2012.

Grist Magazine, December 29th, 2011
How India is winning the future with solar energy.

People's Daily Online, December 29th, 2011
Air quality of major Chinese cities.

Co-Exist News, December 28th, 2011
China’s Massive Coal Habit, Mapped.

The Atlantic Wire, December 28th, 2011
A View of China's Sooty Skies from an Airplane.

Business Day, December 28th, 2011
Bill gives weather bureau sole mandate to issue air pollution warnings in South Africa.

Science Daily, December 28th, 2011
Weather Deserves Medal for Clean Air During 2008 Olympics.

The Guardian, December 28th, 2011
UK switch to low-carbon energy 'no dearer than doing nothing'.

Indian Express, December 28th, 2011
Mushrooming brick kilns, stone quarries major air polluters in city.

The Windsor Star, December 28th, 2011
Smog causes havoc in China.

Canada Free Press, December 28th, 2011
India- ‘Green’ With Heavy Pollution.

Green Car Reports, December 28th, 2011
Can China's Power Industry Raise Interest In Electric Cars?

Deccan Chronicle, December 27th, 2011
Environmentalists for tax on diesel cars in India.

Waste Management, December 27th, 2011
Pakistan: Urban transport system in Rawalpindi soon.

USA Today, December 27th, 2011
Some Chinese turn to U.S. Embassy for clarity in smog data.

NPR, December 27th, 2011
As Nuclear Plants Age, No Easy Energy Solutions.

Shanghai Daily, December 27th, 2011
Heavy air pollution in Mongolia causes flight delays, cancellations.

The Telegraph, December 26th, 2011
Where the mornings taste grey: living under a cloud of smog in Beijing.

Mongolia News, December 26th, 2011
612 new taxis in Ulaanbaatar in 2011.

China Daily, December 26th, 2011
Daily report on PM 2.5 density soon in Shanghai.

Barrons, December 24th, 2011
Too Big To (Totally) Fail: China’s Energy Sector Seen Rising In 2012.

New York Times, December 22nd, 2011
China: Stricter Air Pollution Monitoring Standards to Start Next Year, With Results Made Public in 2016.

Climate Progress, December 21st, 2011
30,000 Chinese ‘Occupy’ Highway to Protest Polluting Coal Plants.

Pakistan Today, December 20th, 2011
EPA lacks stack emission testing facility.

Daily Times, December 18th, 2011
Residents of capital exposed to worse air pollution.

The International News, December 14th, 2011
‘Measures to improve traffic system under way’.

The International News, December 3rd, 2011
Solar energy to power city’s street lights in Karachi.