COP21 Paris 2015

Supreme Court Plea to Ban Fireworks during Diwali in Indian Cities

A complete ban on firecrackers during Diwali will not be imposed, the Supreme Court said today, rejecting a plea filed over concerns of increasing air pollution in India's major cities. Reiterating its 2005 ruling that allows bursting crackers between 6 am and 10 pm, the Court asked the government to publish ads warning about the harm from crackers. Pulling up the Centre for failing to publish advertisements from October 16, the court directed the government to run the ads from October 31 to November 12. Diwali falls on November 11 this year. More @ NDTV

In a plea filed in the name of three toddlers by their parents, the petitioners sought a restriction on bursting firecrackers in the morning and also argued there should be a designated place for nursting crackers. However, turning the plea down, the Supreme Court said, "Everyone wants to burst crackers in front of their houses and they can say it is their right. Can we ask them to go to Nehru Maidan to burst crackers. We can't do that."

A fringe group and a cracker manufacturers' association had moved the Supreme Court, opposing the ban on crackers during Diwali, contending that it would affect the Hindu tradition and hurt religious sentiments. The Centre has also indirectly supported them, saying bursting of crackers during Diwali is not the only cause for air pollution. In its petition, the fringe group from Tamil Nadu's Sivakasi said fireworks are a means of celebrations across the world. "Crackers are burnt during Diwali, Independence Day, New Year, Christmas, victories in games and elections, marriages etc. These celebrations cannot be thwarted by unfair restrictions," it said. Pointing to the Rs. 1,000 crore turnover of the industry, the Cracker Manufacturers' Association said it provides direct employment to over 3 lakh people and indirect employment to 10 lakh. "Any adverse direction against the use of crackers during Diwali will have a disastrous effect on the entire fireworks industry and on the livelihood of lakhs of people," the petition read.

It Will Take 9 Years to Clean Taj Mahal

Years of air pollution have stained India's Taj Mahal, turning its once-white marble facade into an unsightly yellow. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is using a 'mudpack therapy' to clean the pollution -- but the project will be a lengthy one, with the Times of India reporting it could take up to nine years to complete. Once finished, the process will have to be repeated every 6-7 years if pollution in the area remains at the same level. The cleaning of the interior has not been included in the plan.



In late 2014, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Wisconsin, the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur and the Archaeological Survey of India teamed up to analyze the effects of pollution on the Taj Mahal. "Our team was able to show that the pollutants discolouring the Taj Mahal are particulate matter: carbon from burning biomass and refuse, fossil fuels, and dust - possibly from agriculture and road traffic," Michael Bergin, a professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, says in a statement. According to the BBC, pollution from a nearby oil refinery in the nearby city of Agra is exacerbating the situation.

Read more @ Weather Network

Air Pollution in the Prairies

More Than 80,000 Trucks Passing Through Delhi Everyday (CSE)

Massive numbers of commercial vehicles entering and leaving Delhi: On a daily basis, some 38,588 commercial vehicles (excluding taxis) enter Delhi only from the nine locations. If this is extrapolated to the 127 entry points, then a total of 52,146 commercial vehicles (excluding taxis) enter Delhi. The survey had measured vehicles in both directions. And while it is difficult to know if the same vehicle has entered and then left Delhi on the same day, it is clear that the total number has an imprint on Delhi’s air as these vehicles will traverse through the city. The daily average numbers of light and heavy goods vehicles that enter and exit from the nine points are 85,799. The total number of commercial light and heavy duty trucks entering and leaving the city is 115,945 each day.

Read more @ CSE

The MCD estimate of the number of trucks crossing Delhi borders is grossly underestimated and is unreliable for calculating pollution load from trucks: According to MCD data, on an average only 22,628 commercial vehicles, excluding taxis, enter Delhi each day from nine entry points, as against the 38,588 commercial vehicles counted by CSE survey – almost 16,000 vehicles less. This is an underestimate of about 70 per cent in the number of trucks entering from the nine entry points.

Thus, according to the MCD, the total number of light and heavy trucks that enter Delhi everyday from all entry points is 30,373. This is even lower than what the CSE survey counted at nine entry points. Thus, MCD data on daily average truck entry is an underestimation by an astounding 70 per cent. The gap in different entry points varies in the range of 50-96 per cent. The survey establishes that the official numbers of truck entry into the city are a gross underestimation and they end up seriously under-estimating the health impact of these vehicles in the city.

Enormous contribution to pollution load: Delhi’s own vehicles are responsible for 62 per cent of the particulate load from the transport sector and 68 per cent of the NOx load. The total number of light and heavy trucks that enter Delhi spew close to 30 per cent of the total particulate load and 22 per cent of the total nitrogen oxide load from the transport sector.

3 Infants Seek Ban on Firecrackers from the Supreme Court

"Our lungs have not yet fully developed and we cannot take further pollution through bursting of crackers," said three infants in their petition before the Supreme Court seeking a ban on crackers this Dussehra and Diwali besides a host of measures like implementation of Bharat V norms for vehicles to arrest the capital's worsening air quality. Read more @ Times of India

In a first of its kind petition in judicial history, the infants - two six-month-olds Arjun Gopal and Aarav Bhandari and 14-month-old Zoya Rao Bhasin - moved the SC through their advocate fathers to seek several measures to mitigate pollution and exercise their right to clean air guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court Rules permit minors to file petitions for the protection of their fundamental rights through their parents and guardians who term themselves as 'next friends'. The immediate provocation for the filing of the writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution was the crackers that would go up in a burst of sound, flame and smoke during the coming festive season.

The petitioners sought the SC's immediate intervention "against inevitable and upcoming widespread use of firecrackers and fireworks and other products of the same classification, especially during Dussehra and Diwali, but thereafter in all other events and festivities as well". They also wanted measures to check pollution hazards like burning crop residues, polluting vehicles and open waste disposal. They said, "Over the last two years, Delhi has retained the unique distinction of being the most polluted city in the world. The levels of particulate matter are highest, and across the country, over 7 lakh deaths occur annually due to air-pollution related diseases.

"Studies show that Indian citizens have 30% lower lung capacity than Europeans, and that children are the worst affected, as their lungs have not yet fully developed and their systems are vulnerable. In Delhi, a majority of the pollution is caused by over 500 million tonnes of crop residue burnt annually in neighbouring areas, by polluting trucks that pass through the city during the night, road dust and pollution from industries.

"To add to this, the smoke from bursting of crackers in the months of October and November during the festivals of Dussehra and Diwali virtually clogs the atmosphere, substantially increases the pollution level and magnifies the risk of contracting lung diseases." They said every year, the adverse impact of pollution gets debated and forgotten as the lethargic government machinery does little to protect citizens, especially infants and children, from the long-term toxic effects of deadly pollution enveloping the capital city. The infants also sought following directions from the court to the government on a ban on burning post-harvest crop residue, stringent action against those who dump dust, malba (concrete waste) and other pollutants and introducing Bharat-V emission norms for vehicles.

AUTO !! - 3-Wheeler Operations in Hyderabad

India's Doctors Blame Air Pollution for Sharp Rise in Respiratory Diseases

A sharp rise in cases of chest and throat disease in India is being blamed by doctors on worsening air pollution in the country, which is now home to 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world. According to India’s National Health Profile 2015, there were almost 3.5m reported cases of acute respiratory infection (ARI) last year, a 140,000 increase on the previous year and a 30% increase since 2010.

Read the article @ the Guardian

The number of ARI cases has risen steadily in India over the last 15 years, even when population growth is taken into account. In 2001, less than 2,000 cases per 100,000 people had an ARI. In 2012 the number was 2,600 per 100,000, statistics show. The rise has occurred despite steady improvements in medical care and nutrition, as well as a shift away from using wood as fuel in rural areas. Together this has mitigated many factors long blamed for the high levels of respiratory diseases in India.

Moratily Due to Air Pollution in Delhi - 80 per day !!

Doctors are blaming the increasing severity of the problem on unprecedented decline in air quality across India. “Due to the awareness drives conducted about diseases like swine flu and influenza, people have become more aware ... Yet air pollution is playing a major role in [increasing] the numbers of such diseases,” Dr Jugal Kishore, head of community medicine at Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital, told the local India Today news magazine. Attention to the problem of air pollution in India has so far focused almost exclusively on the capital. One study found that half of Delhi’s 4.4 million schoolchildren would never recover full lung capacity.

At Least 11% Delhites Suffer from Asthma

In other cities across the country the problem was even worse. In Ahmedabad, in the west, levels of PM2.5s peaked at eight times the WHO limit for a 24-hour average. In Lucknow, in the north, levels reached seven times the limit. Levels of CO2, nitrogen dioxide and ozone in less known cities have also regularly exceeded WHO guidelines by huge margins. India has the highest rate of death from respiratory disease in the world, according to the WHO,. The rate was 159 per 100,000 in 2012, about 10 times that of Italy, five times that of the UK and twice that of China.

In Chennai - 250 Asthma and COPD Cases Registered Everyday

Officials in Chennai say they are aware of the problem, and point to measures from the new $3bn (£2bn) metro to the construction of traffic islands as evidence of their intent to tackle it. But similar mass transit systems across India do not have a significant immediate impact on pollution, experts say. Most are too small and have been built too late. Studies show that Delhi’s metro users previously travelled on buses, by bicycles or on foot, not in cars. One effective, and considerably cheaper, scheme in Chennai has been the introduction of minibuses on smaller roads between the major bus routes. “It has worked and been very popular,” said Narayan. 

Dusty Roads in Chennai

The problem has a broader cultural aspect too. In India, as in the west in the 1950s and 1960s, cars bring not just mobility and convenience but are tangible symbols of social success. On a sheet of paper pinned to a wall of the spotless Alandar station, contented passengers have scrawled their impressions of Chennai’s month-old metro. “Very wonderful, fantastic, unforgettable,” they gush.

By 2025, nearly 32,000 People in Delhi will Die Annually due to Air Pollution

In another 10 years, Delhi will record the world's largest number of premature deaths annually due to air pollution among all megacities in the world. By 2025, nearly 32,000 people in Delhi will die solely due to inhaling polluted air. Read more @ Times of India

Delhi Air Pollution Related Deaths Up 100% Since 1991

Delhi Experiences ~10,900 Premature Deaths Annually due to Outdoor Air Pollution

However, it will be Kolkata that will record the highest number of such deaths annually by 2050. Kolkata will see the number of premature deaths spike between 2025 and 2050 and will record 54,800 deaths due to air pollution -more than Delhi (52,000) and Mumbai (33,100).

At Least 11% Delhites Suffer from Asthma

Together, these three cities topped the list of premature deaths due to harmful particles like PM2.5 and O3 in the air. Annually , 3.3 million people worldwide die prematurely from the effects of air pollution. This number will double by 2050 to 6.6 million if emissions continue to rise, according to a team of scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz. In 2010, 75% of such mortality occurred in Asia -1.4 million in China and 650,000 in India.

Moratily Due to Air Pollution in Delhi - 80 per day !!

Air Pollution News & Alerts - August 31st, 2015

Last on July 31st, 2015

Gulf Business, August 31st, 2015
Countries with the highest air pollution levels in the Middle East.

The Hindu, August 31st, 2015
Costly power tussle in Delhi.

Mumbai Mirror, August 30th, 2015
Why does India's third cleanest city stink so badly?

Weather Network, August 30th, 2015
Chinese government brings blue skies back to Beijing.

The Guardian, August 30th, 2015
Wanted! An army of citizen scientists to tackle air pollution.

Hindustan Times, August 30th, 2015
China reverses anti-pollution law that kept vehicles off road.

The Hindu, August 29th, 2015
Unscheduled power cuts in Bengaluru to continue.

Daily Times, August 29th, 2015
Urban planning a must to overcome environmental pollution.

NRDC Switchboard, August 28th, 2015
Dirty Air Campaign Opposing Safe Air for Americans Founded on Falsehoods.

NRDC Switchboard, August 28th, 2015
Elevated Indoor Air Pollution Levels During NDTV Breathe Clean Conclave in New Delhi.

ECNS, August 28th, 2015
Forecasters blame lack of wind for recent pollution in Shanghai.

Bangkok Post, August 27th, 2015
Haze chokes parts of Indonesia, Malaysia.

Hindustan Times, August 27th, 2015
NGT slams Delhi govt on monitoring of vehicles at entry points.

Echo of India, August 26th, 2015
Unchecked vehicular pollution leaves people gasping for breath.

Times of India, August 26th, 2015
Mumbai: Air you breathe has more SO2, ammonia now than 3 yrs ago.

Huffington Post, August 26th, 2015
Air Pollution: Why We All Need To Be Accountable.

Times of India, August 25th, 2015
NGT seeks vehicle data update.

SF Gate, August 25th, 2015
China, US seek 'clean coal' agreement as industry struggles.

Business Standard, August 25th, 2015
Javadekar says Subramanian's views on climate change policy not India's.

Mother Nature Network, August 25th, 2015
India gets world's first 100% solar-powered airport.

Want China Times, August 24th, 2015
China has too many thermal power plants.

Business Green, August 24th, 2015
London named as Europe’s most congested city.

Fair Observer, August 24th, 2015
Closing India’s Implementation Gap on Pollution Control.

Power Engineering, August 20th, 2015
Two coal-fired power plants set for Fukushima.

Hindustan Times, August 20th, 2015
Congestion, pollution twin demons in south Delhi colonies.

Inside Climate News, August 19th, 2015
China Emits Less CO2 Than Anyone Thought, But It’s Still a Lot.

Power Engineering, August 19th, 2015
Modernizing old plants to meet new demands.

Lab Manager, August 19th, 2015
Reducing the Health Impacts of Electric Power.

Bangkok Post, August 19th, 2015
Climate: China's emissions overestimated.

Tehran Times, August 17th, 2015
German firms may build power plants in Iran.

Times of India, August 17th, 2015
Diesel autorickshaws to remain on Aurangabad roads.

EurekAlert, August 17th, 2015
New approach could reduce human health impacts of electric power generation.

National Geographic, August 17th, 2015
How Bad Is Power Plant Pollution? Depends on the Weather.

North Jersey News, August 17th, 2015
N.J. ozone level alert extends into Tuesday.

The Hindu, August 16th, 2015
Gas yet to fully fire power generation.

Christian Science Monitor, August 15th, 2015
China's air kills 4,000 people a day – but not for long, say officials.

CSE, August 15th, 2015
CSE condemns misrepresentation of findings of recent CSIR study on diesel and CNG buses.

Economic Times, August 15th, 2015
Bharat Stage implementations will improve ambient air quality.

Ghana Web, August 15th, 2015
EPA launches vehicle emissions programme.

Slate Magazine, August 14th, 2015
Beijing Doesn’t Have a Population Problem.

Zee News, August 13th, 2015
Over 50 predominantly polluting units identified in Ghaziabad.

PR Newswire, August 13th, 2015
KILLER AIR: Berkeley Earth Publishes Study on Air Pollution in China.

Fierce Energy, August 12th, 2015
The Clean Power Plan's effect on coal.

Eco Business, August 13th, 2015
Research from Harvard reveals health impacts of Indonesia’s coal plants.

Bloomberg, August 13th, 2015
China Air Pollution Kills 4,000 People a Day.

City Lab, August 13th, 2015
How Portable Air Sensors Are Changing Pollution Detection.

CNN, August 13th, 2015
MLK III: Climate change and pollution take away civil rights.

NDTV, August 13th, 2015
Delhi Announces Moves to Reduce Pollution.

NDTV, August 13th, 2015
Government to Soon Launch a 'Massive' Campaign to Check Air Pollution in Delhi.

Bangkok Post, August 13th, 2015
It's time to overhaul the price of fuel.

The Hindu, August 13th, 2015
Tamil Nadu Govt. aims to add 22,440 MW power in the next eight years.

Economic Times, August 12th, 2015
Forest area in Delhi on paper is different from reality.

The Hill, August 12th, 2015
States challenge air pollution ‘loophole’ rule.

The Guardian, August 12th, 2015
UK lobbying for even weaker EU air pollution laws, leaked papers show.

Climate Spector, August 12th, 2015
How China is adding one idle coal plant every week.

Japan Times, August 12th, 2015
Power plant operators to invest ¥3 trillion on safety measures.

Macro Business, August 12th, 2015
India won’t save coal.

Climate Progress, August 12th, 2015
China’s Air Pollution Is Traveling To The United States.

The Spectrum, August 11th, 2015
CCS technologies are key to using coal.

Energy Central, August 11th, 2015
A new day for coal ash recycling.

Economic Times, August 11th, 2015
Just as global banks desert coal, can India ramp up the sector without foreign investment?

Power Technology, August 10th, 2015
Bhel commissions 500MW coal power plant in Madhya Pradesh, India.

Economic Times, August 11th, 2015
NGT directs Badarpur, Rajghat plants to control high PM levels.

Live Mint, August 10th, 2015
New pollution-monitoring norms to be finalized in 2-3 months.

Indian Express, August 9th, 2015
ISRO gets a Gadkari request: Develop a battery to check vehicle pollution.

Air Quality News, August 8th, 2015
Clean diesel in the USA – part of the air pollution solution?

Want China Times, August 8th, 2015
How China's most polluted province is cleaning up its act.

Bloomberg, August 7th, 2015
China Gets a Little More Fresh Air.

Crienglish, August 6th, 2015
Shanghai Suffers Ozone Pollution for 11 Consecutive Days.

Economic Times, August 6th, 2015
'Construction activities added over 20% dust to air in six cities'.

NDTV, August 5th, 2015
Why You Should Take Rising Air Pollution Seriously.

Times of India, August 5th, 2015
Toxic air choked 35,000 to death in 10 years.

Environmental Research Web, August 5th, 2015
Ships produce larger proportion of Europe’s NOx.

Hufington Post, August 4th, 2015
Don't Like The New Climate Rules? Thank Congress.

The Hill, August 4th, 2015
Preventing the health impacts of climate change.

Environmental Research Web, August 4th, 2015
Would taxing emissions make us buy different vehicles?

Huffington Post, August 4th, 2015
That's Life.

Times of India, August 4th, 2015
Will PUC tests check PM2.5, NGT asks govt.

The Guardian, August 3rd, 2015
White House insists tough new carbon restrictions are legal under Clean Air Act.

Financial Express, August 3rd, 2015
Coal India production up 12% in June quarter.

Business Standard, August 3rd, 2015
Coal to drive growth of Krishnapatnam Port.

Economic Times, August 3rd, 2015
NTPC to stay away from imports, hopes to generate power with domestic coal till September.

Business Green, August 3rd, 2015
China should cap coal consumption by 2020, says think tank.

Vietnam Net, August 3rd, 2015
Thermal power plant built in unsuitable position.

Green Biz, August 3rd, 2015
How Google, startups aim to help us breathe better.

RTCC, August 3rd, 2015
Coal is choking India’s cities, economy and the world’s climate.

White House, August 3rd, 2015
President Obama to Announce Historic Carbon Pollution Standards for Power Plants.

City Lab, August 3rd, 2015
Mapping Global Air Pollution Down to the Neighborhood Level.

The Guardian, July 25th, 2015
Climate change threatens China’s booming coastal cities.

PM2.5 Concentrations Retrieved from Satellite Data

Air pollution has been linked to a slew of health complications, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease, asthma, stroke, cancer, and premature death. In 2012, the WHO estimated that ambient air pollution alone caused 3.7 million premature deaths across the globe. Countries in the midst of rapid economic growth, such as India, are particularly susceptible to poor air quality and its health effects. Developing economies may face challenges regulating industrial growth, urbanization, and vehicular emissions, which can lead to excessive ambient air pollution.

Google Measuring Street Level Pollution in the Cities

Aclima, Inc., a San Francisco-based company that designs and deploys environmental sensor networks, today announced a new partnership with Google Earth Outreach to map and better understand urban air quality. The partnership enables a paradigm-shift in environmental awareness by equipping Street View. Read more @ Smithsonian

Diesel vs. CNG Buses in Delhi !!

The advocacy group Embarq studied emissions from buses run on different fuels in Mexico, Brazil and India, and found that CNG buses emit more micro particles. “Lowsulphur diesel particles were found to be slightly bigger than those from CNG. We also found that overloaded CNG vehicles emit even more micro particles,“ said Amit Bhatt, strategy head, urban transport, Embarq. “We can say that Euro V and Euro VI diesel is as good as CNG in terms of other pollutants, and superior if you consider particulate emissions,“ Bhatt added. For now, CNG can't be labeled a highly polluting fuel because its particulate emissions are lower than those from diesel. Anumita Roychowdhury , head of Centre for Science and Environment's Clean Air campaign, said European countries have started measuring ultrafine particles because they have addressed the problem of particulate emissions from diesel. India, however, should focus on reducing PM emissions that are a leading cause of death, she added. Read more @ Times of India