All You Need is a Smart Phone to Report Local Air Pollution in China

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. That’s the message users of a new air quality–monitoring app will be sending to thousands of China’s pollution-spewing factories. The groundbreaking app, which launched on Monday, provides real-time data on emissions levels in 190 cities. That’s not all: It also empowers users to be more than passive observers of smog. Once the app is downloaded to a smartphone, an everyday citizen can become a whistle-blower on hazy conditions at the local level.

Read more @ Take Part

How does it work? In January, China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection mandated that 15,000 of China’s biggest factories publicly report air emissions every hour. This app takes that unprecedented information transparency—after all, this is the country that created a fake sun billboard in Beijing after smog obscured the real one—and plots the updates from power plants, iron smelters, steel mills, oil refineries, and other industrial manufacturers on a map. If a factory exceeds emissions standards, it is highlighted in red. There’s no hiding: Everybody knows which polluter is making it necessary to bust out the medical mask for a walk around the block.

You can imagine how tempting it would be for a company to try to fudge its reporting data. That’s where the real genius of this app comes into play. If a neighborhood is especially smoggy, even if a company claims that it meets the discharge standard, a user need only power up the app, which uses GPS to pinpoint a user’s location and identify the factories that are closest. Once that’s done, the polluting culprit(s) will be put on blast.

“It will be a very effective tool for people to voice out their concerns,” Gu Beibei, senior project manager at the independent Beijing-based Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, which created the app to put the data in the hands of the average person, told the AP.

The smartphone-based app is just the latest in a slew of efforts in China to combat the country’s rampant pollution. Last week the government announced plans to boot 6 million smog-gushing cars from roads by the end of 2014, and another 5 million in 2015.

So far, thanks to the institute’s technological innovation, 370 companies have been found to be exceeding emissions standards. Perhaps some serious public shaming (and government fines) can help these factories get their environmental act together.

Air Pollution News & Alerts - June 8th, 2014

Last on May 15th, 2014

Xiamen News, June 8th, 2014
Expat moves from Beijing to Xiamen for fresh air.

Financial Express, June 8th, 2014
City air pollution marks Fall in Dhaka.

Courier Journal, June 7th, 2014
Questioning the culture of coal.

Newsday, June 6th, 2014
The power of competition for electricity.

Times of India, June 6th, 2014
Air we breathe is dense with pollutants.

Times of India, June 6th, 2014
Air pollution may cause autism, schizophrenia.

Times of India, June 6th, 2014
NTPC may defer routine shut down.

NPR, June 6th, 2014
If We Want to Live In Cities, Will We Have To Share Cars?

Times of India, June 5th, 2014
Now, house roof tiles to fight air pollution.

USA Today, June 5th, 2014
China admits to failures over air quality.

Indian Express, June 5th, 2014
Early morning is when pollution spikes in capital.

Phys.Org, June 4th, 2014
Analysts assess new EPA rules cutting power plant emissions.

Times of India, June 4th, 2014
Mumbai is noisiest city in the world.

Business Insider, June 4th, 2014
Air Pollution Has Gone Up In Delhi, Mumbai.

Examiner, June 4th, 2014
Clean Power Plan will reduce asthma, lung cancer, birth problems.

Morung Express, June 4th, 2014
Nagaland state and rising ‘air pollution’.

Morning Mix, June 4th, 2014
Can China clean up its pollution before it’s too late?

Economic Times, June 4th, 2014
CSE urges government to go for 'million buses and billion solar panels' to reduce pollution.

NPR, June 4th, 2014
New Pollution Rules Leave Utilities Frustrated, As Details Remain Up In Air.

UB Post, June 4th, 2014
Air polluters face consequences for violations.

Big News Network, June 4th, 2014
China facing environmental crisis.

Science Daily, June 4th, 2014
Air pollution linked to irregular heartbeat, lung blood clots.

Science Daily, June 4th, 2014
Cleaning the air with roof tiles.

Washington Post, June 3rd, 2014
In Debate Over Coal, Looking to Lessons of ’90s Tobacco Fight.

Reuters, June 3rd, 2014
REFILE-EU policy paper backs help to export coal-fired power plants.

World Coal, June 2nd, 2014
Coal looks hot compared to gas, according to CEDIGAZ report.

Business Week, June 2nd, 2014
Coal-Fired Plant in Kosovo Tests World Bank Clean-Air Pledge.

Hindustan Times, June 2nd, 2014
Coal crisis: Punjab’s thermal power generation plummets.

Environmental Research Web, June 2nd, 2014
Scooters punch above their weight when it comes to air pollution.

World Coal, June 2nd, 2014
NTPC considers import-based coal power plant.

Bloomberg, May 31st, 2014
New Delhi Locals Cry Foul Against Incinerator’s Exhaust.

Times of India, May 30th, 2014
Raipur to hold national conference on alternate uses of fly ash.

Council for Foreign Relations, May 30th, 2014
How Will China Clean its Air?

Bloomberg, May 30th, 2014
Scary Statistic: China May Have 1 Billion Drivers.

Economic Times, May 30th, 2014
As India embarks on economic growth, environmental health should be high on priority.

Economic Times, May 30th, 2014
Delhi to have bad air quality for next 3 days.

Live Science, May 29th, 2014
Benchmarking Carbon Pollution From 100 Top Power Producers.

Media Matters, May 29th, 2014
Wall Street Journal Changes Its Mind About How To Solve Air Pollution.

NJ Spot Light, May 29th, 2014
Air Pollution Shows Slight Rise As Feds Prepare First Greenhouse Gas Limits.

Vietnam Net, May 29th, 2014
Samsung to pour billions of dollars in Vietnam.

Shanghai Daily, May 29th, 2014
China to improve countryside living environment.

Power Engineering, May 29th, 2014
Africa to lose big in expected Chinese shale gas push.

New Scientist, May 28th, 2014
Traffic fumes cost rich countries $0.8 trillion a year.

Washington Post, May 28th, 2014
A long road to clean up a dirty power plant.

Bloomberg, May 28th, 2014
London’s Dirty Secret: Pollution Worse Than Beijing’s.

Mining Technology, May 28th, 2014
Coal mining pollution in Australia doubled in last ten years.

Forbes, May 27th, 2014
The Petroleum Product That Can Save Millions Of Lives Each Year.

Phys.Org, May 27th, 2014
In some towns, small mopeds cause more air pollution than cars.

Energy Central, May 27th, 2014
Major Russian utility may supply China by building coal-fired power plant.

Mail Online, May 27th, 2014
After decades, dirty power plant to get clean.

The Guardian, May 27th, 2014
China to scrap millions of cars to ease pollution.

The Guardian, May 27th, 2014
Recycling, saving energy, reducing waste: how is it going for you?

The Guardian, May 27th, 2014
China to scrap millions of cars to ease pollution.

Science Daily, May 27th, 2014
Rules to cut carbon emissions also reduce air pollution harmful to people, environment.

Zee News, May 26th, 2014
Uninterrupted power, fuel should be government's top priority.

Science Daily, May 26th, 2014
Cost-effective filtration system to efficiently combat indoor air pollution.

The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2014
Roadwork all around: Haze of dust causing breathing problems.

The Japan Times, May 25th, 2014
Shanghai sees Japanese fall 17% over air pollution, territorial rift.

Times of India, May 24th, 2014
Heat, emissions raise Delhi's ozone levels.

Grist Magazine, May 24th, 2014
When China became the world’s workshop, it inherited the world’s air pollution, too.

The International News, May 24th, 2014
China curbs coal consumption.

Reuters, May 23rd, 2014
China opens first environmental court.

Times of India, May 23rd, 2014
Environment: Clear the air on green clearances.

Power Engineering, May 23rd, 2014
German conventional power output drops; biggest losses for gas.

Science Daily, May 23rd, 2014
Electricity use slashed with efficiency controls for heating, cooling.

Yale 360, May 22nd, 2014
Leading San Francisco's Quest To Recycle All Trash by 2020.

Power Engineering, May 22nd, 2014
Cleaner air could mean higher electric bills.

Reuters, May 22nd, 2014
China curbs capital's coal consumption to combat smog.

New York Times, May 21st, 2014
China’s Global Search for Energy.

Guelph Mercury, May 21st, 2014
China must confront pollution challenge.

Tree Hugger, May 21st, 2014
China wants 70,000 megawatts of solar by 2017, triple what they currently have.

Huffington Post, May 21st, 2014
5 Reasons California Latinos Should Care About Clean Fuels.

Global Post, May 21st, 2014
China inspects enforcement of air pollution law.

Maucau Daily, May 21st, 2014
Air pollution aggravating asthma symptoms in Macau.

Asian Tribune, May 21st, 2014
Sri Lanka Confirms Commitment to Support the Integrated Better Air Quality Conference and the 8th EST Forum in Colombo.

Times of India, May 21st, 2014
Dirty air blame on transport.

Times of India, May 20th, 2014
Urgent need for pollution action plan.

Motley Fool, May 20th, 2014
You Want to Save the Environment? Forget the U.S. and Look at China and India.

Times of India, May 20th, 2014
NGT directs Mahagenco to strictly follow clean coal norm.

Energy Central, May 20th, 2014
Bangladesh to begin construction of Rampal coal-fired power plant in 2015.

Science Daily, May 20th, 2014
Power plant emissions verified remotely at Four Corners sites, largest point source pollution in U.S.

Science Daily, May 19th, 2014
Hybrid electric vehicles: Logged driving route can reduce energy consumption by 10 percent.

Reuters, May 19th, 2014
China's Tianjin to restrict vehicle use to curb pollution.

Xinhua Net, May 19th, 2014
Odd-even car ban to ease Tianjin pollution.

China Topix, May 19th, 2014
China Fights Smog and Pollution by Building Coal Plants.

Business Standard, May 19th, 2014
CPCB contests WHO findings but says Delhi pollution a concern.

South China Mornin Post, May 19th, 2014
Japan faces season of peak power demand without nuclear plants.

The Hindu, May 18th, 2014
Gujarat’s solar success may shine on nation.

Business World, May 18th, 2014Sarangani coal plant 42% complete.

Reuters, May 16th, 2014
China steel mills have no cash to meet smog standards -industry body.

Xinhua Net, May 16th, 2014
China allocates funds for air pollution control.

China Daily, May 16th, 2014
A win-win game on clean energy.

National Affairs, May 16th, 2014
Projects to clean up ‘dirty’ coal.

China Times, May 16th, 2014
Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei cut coal consumption.