Daily Dose of Air Pollution

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Subsidizing Diesel is Causing is Causing More Health Problems !!

Let me explain. We know global oil prices are going through the roof. Indian oil companies, dependent as they are on importing some 80% of their crude are bleeding. The price of petrol has been raised, as the joke goes, to make it more expensive than beer.

This also means that the differential between petrol and diesel price has grown. It makes even more sense for the next car buyer to buy an expensive personal car – perhaps even a Mercedes Benz – but run it on diesel. It even makes more sense to buy a fuel guzzling SUV and run it on subsidized diesel.

Read more in the article by Ms. Sunita Narain, Director of the Center for Science and Environment, New Delhi, India: Paying for diesel in subsidy and health - The Times of India

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Soot Strategies in China !!

Global efforts to mitigate climate change are beginning to take aim at a once-obscure pollutant called “black carbon” in a shift that may bring policies to cool the planet to families preparing meals at home and farmers readying plots of land for planting.

Research shows that black carbon is also heavily impacting the glaciers of the Himalayas, another region of global significance. The “third pole” or “Asian water tower” feeds some of the world’s biggest rivers, including the Ganges, Yangtze and Yellow River, which together supply drinking water and crop-irrigation for some 1.5 billion people across 10 countries. According to estimates published last year in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, black-carbon emissions have caused nearly 10% of the ice-cover loss in the Himalayas from 1990 to 2000, of which about 36% is attributed to Indian coal and biofuel burning.

Read the full article @ China Dialogue, January 19th, 2011 - Soot Strategies.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tracking Air Pollution in Indian Cities

The results from the six city source apportionment studies (for 2006) are now published by MoEF. The study was carried out by the Central Pollution Control Board. Click on the image below to access the article in Hindustan Times.

Link to download to the full report.

These are results from source apportionment and emission inventory over limited areas in the cities (what is source apportionment?)

Other articles on source apportionment in this blog.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Transport Policy in India

Article published in the Hindu, "fixing India's transport troubles", following the announcement of a new transport committee under the National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTDPC)

India that aspires to be an economic superpower is visibly in need of a transport policy that is in tune with the times. The constitution of a high level Transport Policy Development Committee, headed by the former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Rakesh Mohan, reflects this. The last time a comprehensive view of transport was taken at the national level was in 1980 when the B.D. Pande committee submitted its report. Much has happened since then. India's economic transformation from a near-closed economy to a fast liberaliser led to a significant stepping up of economic activity, particularly by the private sector, and resulted in higher individual spending capacity. While the former meant increased flow of goods and services, calling for better freight facilities, the latter translated into both higher purchasing power for personal transportation modes and higher effective demand for better public transport. Liberalisation has also spawned its own huge inequities. A fresh policy has to factor in the harsh reality that the overwhelming majority, in the region of 800 million Indians, live in poverty. This calls for a more active state role as a provider of subsidised transport and as an effective regulator, particularly since the trend is to move towards a system that facilitates private players.

The terms of reference of the Rakesh Mohan committee are wide: they range from “assessing the transport requirements for the next two decades” to “assessing the investment requirements” of the sector. Although there are several issues that jostle for attention, there is an urgent need to develop a comprehensive policy for road transport as this mode carries 87 per cent of India's passengers, moves 60 per cent of its freight, and is in serious disarray. Efficient inter-State, intra-city, and rural transport systems will reduce losses, improve connectivity, and open up more economic opportunities. The most shocking lapse of state policy is the decline of public transport. As a Parliamentary Standing Committee rightly pointed out, the decline of buses in the total fleet of vehicles from 11 per cent in 1951 to a paltry 1.1 per cent in 2004 has meant an increase in personalised transport. This leads to avoidable economic losses due to higher fuel expenditure, apart from widening inequalities. The retrogressive trend needs urgent reversal. A policy that accords primacy of space to an affordable, efficient, and integrated public transport system will be key to fixing India's transport troubles.

Also see

Congestion pricing in Beijing, China
Why target Autorickshaws?
Reducing Air Pollution from Urban Transport by the World Bank
Reducing Vehicle Emissions in Asia by Asian Development Bank
EE and CC Considerations for On-Road Transport in Asia by Asian Development Bank
Climate Change Mitigation Strategies for Transportation Sector in China by ICET
Future of Personal Transport in China by National Academies Press
Transport in India
National Urban Transport Policy by MoUD
National Auto Fuel Policy of India by GoI
Sustainable Transport & Climate Change in China by ADB
Climate Change Mitigation and Co-Benefits of Feasible Transport Demand Policies in Beijing by U.Berkeley
Four Simple Equations to Vehicular Emissions Inventory by UrbanEmissions
Public Transportation in India by ITDP
Nano-carnomics in India
Mobile signals to understand congestion zones
Transport for Livable Cities: A Symposium on the Problems of Urban Transport (Seminar, November, 2007)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Air Pollution Alerts - January 16th, 2011

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Earth Is Twice as Dusty as in 19th Century (Science Daily)

Link to the article

ScienceDaily (Jan. 12, 2011) — If the house seems dustier than it used to be, it may not be a reflection on your housekeeping skills. The amount of dust in the Earth's atmosphere has doubled over the last century, according to a new study; and the dramatic increase is influencing climate and ecology around the world.

The study, led by Natalie Mahowald, associate professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, used available data and computer modeling to estimate the amount of desert dust, or soil particles in the atmosphere, throughout the 20th century. It's the first study to trace the fluctuation of a natural (not human-caused) aerosol around the globe over the course of a century.

Mahowald presented the research at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco Dec. 13.

Desert dust and climate influence each other directly and indirectly through a host of intertwined systems. Dust limits the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth, for example, a factor that could mask the warming effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. It also can influence clouds and precipitation, leading to droughts; which, in turn, leads to desertification and more dust.

Ocean chemistry is also intricately involved. Dust is a major source of iron, which is vital for plankton and other organisms that draw carbon out of the atmosphere.

To measure fluctuations in desert dust over the century, the researchers gathered existing data from ice cores, lake sediment and coral, each of which contain information about past concentrations of desert dust in the region. They then linked each sample with its likely source region and calculated the rate of dust deposition over time. Applying components of a computer modeling system known as the Community Climate System Model, the researchers reconstructed the influence of desert dust on temperature, precipitation, ocean iron deposition and terrestrial carbon uptake over time.

Among their results, the researchers found that regional changes in temperature and precipitation caused a global reduction in terrestrial carbon uptake of 6 parts per million (ppm) over the 20th century. The model also showed that dust deposited in oceans increased carbon uptake from the atmosphere by 6 percent, or 4 ppm, over the same time period.

While the majority of research related to aerosol impacts on climate is focused on anthropogenic aerosols (those directly emitted by humans through combustion), Mahowald said, the study highlights the important role of natural aerosols as well.

"Now we finally have some information on how the desert dust is fluctuating. This has a really big impact for the understanding of climate sensitivity," she said.

It also underscores the importance of gathering more data and refining the estimates. "Some of what we're doing with this study is highlighting the best available data. We really need to look at this more carefully. And we really need more paleodata records," she said.

Meanwhile, the study is also notable for the variety of fields represented by its contributors, she said, which ranged from marine geochemistry to computational modeling. "It was a fun study to do because it was so interdisciplinary. We're pushing people to look at climate impacts in a more integrative fashion."

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Air Pollution Alerts - January 9th, 2011

News & Information; Every Sunday
(Last on January 2nd, 2011)

NGO Post, January, 2011
City Of Garbage In Egypt.

Down to Earth, January, 2011
Suppressed CNG facts: A CPCB study on fuels goofs up.

DNA India, January 9th, 2011
'IP Gautam made Ahmedabad a cleaner city'.

Asia One Motoring, January 8th, 2011
Car-sharing will ease Shanghai's traffic problems.

UB Post, January 7th, 2011
Mongolia in 2020.

Science Daily, January 7th, 2011
Energy Limits Global Economic Growth.

TIME, January 7th, 2011
Battle Brews Over EPA's Emissions Regulations.

Morgan Hill Times, January 7th, 2011
Healthy winter skies are becoming rarer.

Indian Express, January 7th, 2011
As mercury took a dip, so did air quality.

Environmental Technology, January 6th, 2011
London's air quality achieves high rating.

IRIN Asia, January 6th, 2011
Kabul air pollution prompts advice on use of masks.

The Grist Magazine, January 6th, 2011
What can we expect on climate and energy in China in 2011?

Science Daily, January 6th, 2011
How Studded Winter Tires May Damage Public Health, as Well as Pavement.

Financial Express, January 6th, 2011
Most worrying prospects of an utter breakdown await Dhaka residents.

UB Post, January 6th, 2011
The Mongolian “Katrina”.

Bloomberg, January 6th, 2011
TOP Oil Market News: Oil Trades Above $90; LNG Demand in Asia.

World Resources Institute, January 5th, 2011
What Can We Expect on Climate and Energy in China in 2011?

Tehran Times, January 5th, 2011
The role of transportation in driving climate disruption.

Environmental Research Web, January 5th, 2011
Reducing black carbon buys time.

In These Times, January 5th, 2011
India’s Green Party Maverick.

People's China Daily, January 5th, 2011
Expert: China's urbanization taxing on resources, environment.

Environmental News Network, January 4th, 2011
No Coal-Fired Power Plants Built in Past Two Years.

Business Wire, January 4th, 2011
Nexant Inks Landmark Energy Efficiency Contract in Mongolia.

Wall Street Journal, January 3rd, 2011
China’s Relentless Hunt for Energy.

Business Standard, January 3rd, 2011
Cap-and-trade regime coming for industrial emissions.

The City Fix, January 3rd, 2011
African Cities to Triple in Size.

Jalopnik, January 3rd, 2011
What Smog Over Santiago Looks Like.

Express buzz, January 3rd, 2011
Low-fare bus service for poor in poor shape.

The Epoch Times, January 2nd, 2011
Beijing’s Air Pollution Index Reaches Alarming Levels.

AFP, January 2nd, 2011
Beijing traffic rules empty out car showrooms.

Times of India, January 2nd, 2011
China shuts down steel plant to check pollution.

Deccan Herald, January 2nd, 2011
Slow response to rapid system.

Xinhua Net, December 30th, 2010
Beijing opens five new metro lines amid increasing traffic pressures.

China Daily, December 30th, 2010
Energy plan to focus on cars.

Xinhua Net, December 29th, 2010
Emission control green revolution in impoverished Chinese regions.

Xinhua Net, December 27th, 2010
China's first solar chimney plant starts operating in desert.

Climate-L News, December 22nd, 2010
UNECE Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution Convention Tackles Black Carbon.

Xinhua Net, December 21st, 2010
China raises gasoline, diesel prices.

Xinhua Net, December 21st, 2010
China likely to meet pollution control targets for 2006-2010, future tasks "arduous".

Science Daily, August 25th, 2011
Can the World Be Powered Mainly by Solar and Wind Energy?

Vulnerability of Asian Cities to Climate Change

Access the full report on InfoChangeIndia

The report lists Dhaka in Bangladesh as the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. It is a large but relatively poor city and is located just metres above current sea levels. It is regularly impacted by tropical cyclones and flooding and has very limited adaptive capacity.

Jakarta and Manila are also extremely vulnerable cities and tie for second rank, largely because of their size, degree of exposure (both experience frequent flooding), and relatively low adaptive capacity. Kolkata and Phnom Penh tie for third most vulnerable city, largely because Kolkata is prone to saltwater intrusion and the effects of sea level rise, while Phnom Penh has very low adaptive capacity.

Each city is given a score card that lists particular vulnerabilities: to environmental exposure (storm threat, sea level rise, flooding/drought), socio-economic sensitivity (population, assets threatened) and inverse adaptive capacity, that is, its inability to adapt.

Finding Delhi, Loss and Renewal in the Megacity (Info Change, India)

Finding Delhi, Loss and Renewal in the Megacity (Viking Penguin 2010), an edited volume by Bharati Chaturvedi, attempts to address the changes in the national capital from the perspective of those who are a low priority for the planners. Perhaps more than any other city in India, Delhi exemplifies the pitfalls of huge investments that produce a city that fails to satisfy the basic needs of the majority of its residents. Of course things could change and the city could yet become a more democratic and less segregated space. But from the lived experience of millions of Delhi’s residents, especially those who have been rendered virtually invisible by the visioning exercises of a ‘global city’, ‘new’ Delhi seems less democratic, more fissured, than the old and historic Delhi.

Four Ways to Look at Global Carbon Footprints

From National Geographic.. click on the image to access the map

Friday, January 07, 2011

Air Pollution in Kabul

Link to the article and pictures from Demotix.

KABUL, 6 January 2011 (IRIN) - KABUL, 6 January 2010 (IRIN) - Worsening air pollution in Kabul has forced the Afghanistan National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) to advise people to use masks or other protective devices during the morning and evening rush hours.

NEPA and the Health Ministry say air pollution causes up to 3,000 deaths a year and spreads skin, respiratory and eye diseases, and even cancer. The UN World Health Organization (WHO) says air pollution causes about two million premature deaths worldwide every year.

“Anyone can observe that the air in Kabul is highly polluted,” said Chiranjibi Gautam, an expert with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

“Up to 75 percent of the air pollution is from transport,” Najibullah Yamin, NEPA’s deputy director, told IRIN.

The country imports tens of thousands of second-hand cars every year. They predominantly use low-grade fuel which pollutes the air, NEPA said.

To discourage the use of state-owned vehicles and reduce pollution, the government announced that Thursdays are to be public holidays until March 2011. Afghanistan normally only observes Friday as a day of rest.

Critics, however, say the extra holiday is benefiting no one, as officials tend to use government vehicles for private purposes on days off. “It’s a joke which in fact is damaging the economy more than helping to reduce air pollution because congestion on Thursdays is no better than on other days,” said Kabul resident Ahmad Temor.

The government has not banned the use of government or private vehicles on Thursdays and Fridays, but merely “requested” that people refrain from using their cars “unnecessarily”.

Kabul’s inadequate public transport system does not meet the needs of its estimated 4.5 million inhabitants, pushing more and more people to buy cars.

Valley aggravates smog

“Kabul is a valley where in winter there is thermal inversion and because of it very low dispersion of pollutants takes place, thus increasing pollution levels,” said UNEP’s Chiranjibi Gautam.

Other main causes of air pollution and environmental degradation are rapid population growth and a largely unregulated urbanization.

The lack of trees, parks and other green areas exacerbate the city’s air quality, experts say. In cold winter months air pollution increases due to the burning of fuel and firewood for heating, they add, though the use of generators has decreased over the past two years due to US-funded electricity imports from neighbouring Tajikistan.

Meanwhile, officials accuse what they call a “land mafia” of plundering public land and illegally building houses, with little or no heed to the environment.

“The land mafia has seized green areas and builds houses and commercial buildings in areas which are crucial for environmental protection purposes,” said NEPA’s Yamin.

A lack of public awareness on environmental issues is part of the problem, he adds. “The last thing on people’s minds here is the air quality and the environment.”

Some more articles on air pollution in Kabul

Kabul choking on dust and smoke (2004)
Kabul's air pollution putting people at risk (2008)
Afghan's feeling ill effects of air pollution (2009)
Kabul is one of the worst polluted cities in the world (2009)
Auto's, Air, and Kabul (2009)
Kabul is No.10 city in the world for worst air pollution (2010)
Ominous haze in Kabul (2010)

Sunday, January 02, 2011

Air Pollution Alerts - January 2nd, 2011

News & Information; Every Sunday
(Last on December 26th, 2010)

Phil Star, January 2nd, 2011
Now, brace for worse air pollution after revelry.

The Scientist, January 1st, 2011
The Coming Health Crisis.

Straits Times, January 1st, 2011
Transit towards a greener, more accessible system.

Science Daily, January 1st, 2011
Cloud Atlas: Scientist Maps the Meaning of Mid-Level Clouds.

The City Fix, December 30th, 2010
China Institutes New Car Policies, But Are They Enough?

Science Daily, December 31st, 2010
Crops: Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency Lessens Environmental Impact.

AFP, December 30th, 2010
Hong Kong posts record roadside pollution levels.

Live Mint, December 30th, 2010
Green construction gaining traction in India.

Eco Business, December 30th, 2010
Singapore: Fine particles a growing concern though air pollution 'in good range'.

CNN, December 30th, 2010
Will Beijing plan halt auto snarl-ups?

Climate Biz, December 29th, 2010
California Clean Truck Laws Cut Black Carbon in Half.

Financial Express, December 28th, 2010
Restriction on cars to check traffic jams.

AlterNet, December 28th, 2010
2010: A Precedent-Setting Year In the Fight Against Coal.

Bloomberg, December 28th, 2010
Hong Kong Air Pollution ‘Very High’ at All 3 Roadside Stations.

The Hindu, December 28th, 2010
‘Killer dust' threat looms over Marwan despite protests.

Science Daily, December 27th, 2010
Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: New Global Search to Save Endangered Crop Wild Relatives.

Science Daily, December 27th, 2010
Decline of West Coast Fog Brought Higher Coastal Temperatures Last 60 Years.

Jerusalem Post, December 27th, 2010
All coal-fired power stations to get filters.

Prague Daily, December 27th, 2010
Dust pollution plagues North Moravia again.

Science Daily, December 27th, 2010
Global Rivers Emit Three Times IPCC Estimates of Greenhouse Gas Nitrous Oxide.

Canada.Com, December 26th, 2010
Canadians in denial about air pollution impact.

Financial Express, December 26th, 2010
Pollution from brick kilns: Attention needed.

The City Fix, December 23rd, 2010
Adapting to Climate Change: Is Our Transport Infrastructure Robust Enough?

CNN, December 3rd, 2010
How to get scientists, policymakers to same page on climate change.

CNN, November 17th, 2010
Climate project calls for citizen scientists.

Yale 360, November 17th, 2010
Indian Temperatures Could Rise Significantly by 2030.

CNN, August 12th, 2010
What's behind the weather chaos?

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Another Year... New Hopes and Wishes !!

a passage from NY Times

The coming of the new year reminds us, again, that we live, as we always have, somewhere on a sliding scale between utopia and dystopia and that we continuously carry our burdens and opportunities with us. 2011 is merely a new entry in our ancient custom of chronological bookkeeping, an arbitrary starting point for our annual trip around the sun.

But it is also so much more. Who can live without fresh intentions, new purposes? Who does not welcome a chance to start over, if only on a new page of the calendar? Life goes on, but it goes on so much better with hope and renewal and recommitment.

Last night was a night for banishing regrets. Today is for wondering how to live without new ones, how to do right by ourselves and one another.