tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15026410850447544852024-02-10T16:49:57.249-05:00Pollution Free Citiespugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.comBlogger1069125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-6371496134655961982017-03-02T15:03:00.004-05:002017-03-02T15:03:51.549-05:00What are the Health Benefits of Congestion Pricing?<a href="https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjtktCu9vPRAhUK44MKHW4pAHkQFggtMAM&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aeaweb.org%2Fconference%2F2017%2Fpreliminary%2Fpaper%2Fh4KS5eAa&usg=AFQjCNF3ea9sdf4460ebc0c6PY-RESi25A&sig2=E2yCGlqo8ZV7TW07F233sA">Congestion Pricing, Air Pollution, and Urban Health </a>(11 page pdf, Emilia Simeonova, Janet Currie, Peter Nilsson and Reed Walker, American Economics Association Meeting, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.cityofchicago.org/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Chicago">Chicago</a>, Jan. 2017)<br />
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Also discussed here: <a href="https://www.insidescience.org/news/driving-fee-rolls-back-asthma-attacks-stockholm">Driving Fee Rolls Back Asthma Attacks in Stockholm </a>(Nala Rogers, Inside Science. Feb. 2, 2017)<br />
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Today we review research on the impact of the introduction of congestion pricing in Stockholm, in 2006, and the reduction of traffic that followed on the health of children in that city. Pollution levels in that city are lower than EPA’s standards. Results indicate that the pricing system caused a drop in traffic volumes by 25%, reductions in NO2 and particulate (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particulates" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Particulates">PM10</a>) pollution of 5 and 10% and a reduction in asthma cases by 12% in the first seven months which increased to 45% over the longer term (several years). While the benefits in other cities with fewer diesel vehicles (emitting PM) may not be as great, it is clear that there are benefits even when the air quality in a given city (such as Ottawa) is considered “good” and that there are negative health impacts that begin at lower thresholds than EPA standards project.<br />
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<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/stockholm-congestion-health.jpg"><img alt="stockholm-congestion-health" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-16049" height="276" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/stockholm-congestion-health.jpg" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
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<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
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"We are already looking at an area that has much lower levels [of pollution] than the current [<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.epa.gov/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="United States Environmental Protection Agency">U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</a>] standards, and we are reducing those levels by a little bit…Yet we see these vast changes in the health status of children."<br />
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“The tax varies between 0 and 2.6 USD per vehicle, depending on the time of the day. There are no charges at night, on weekends and public holidays, or during July. The toll is automatically collected using <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_number_plate_recognition" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Automatic number plate recognition">license plate scanning</a> technology as cars cross the perimeter of the congestion zone.”<br />
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"If you're just looking at the short-term effects of lower levels of pollution, you will probably be missing a big piece of the picture."<br />
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“current standards for air pollution may not adequately protect children…there is mounting evidence that health shocks in infancy and childhood have long-lasting impacts on affected children …the mechanisms through which children are affected by traffic-generated pollution may differ from those in adults. Lung development continues post-natally until the adolescent years and is susceptible to negative environmental shocks”<br />
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“Children under the age of six are the most likely to experience acute asthma. For example, U.S. children 0 to 4 are 1.9 times more likely to have an asthma attack than children 12 to 17 “<br />
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“Our estimates show that permanent reductions in air pollution from automobiles, even in locations which have average pollution levels well below the current EPA standards, can have significant positive effects on children’s respiratory health. “<br />
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“Congestion pricing may not work the same way in every part of the world. For example, diesel vehicles are more popular in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=59.35,18.0666666667&spn=0.1,0.1&q=59.35,18.0666666667%20(Sweden)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Sweden">Sweden</a> than in the U.S.. Diesel produces more nitrogen dioxide and particulates than gasoline, so Sweden may have more to gain from small reductions in driving.”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-26659293416317545922017-02-28T08:43:00.002-05:002017-02-28T08:43:57.727-05:00Does Exposure to Traffic-Related Pollution Affect Dementia in Older Women?<a href="http://www.nature.com/tp/journal/v7/n1/pdf/tp2016280a.pdf%20">Particulate air pollutants, APOE alleles and their contributions to cognitive impairment in older women and to amyloidogenesis in experimental models </a>(8 page pdf, M Cacciottolo, X Wang, I Driscoll, N Woodward, A Saffari, J Reyes, M L Serre, W Vizuete, C Sioutas, T E Morgan, M Gatz, H C Chui, S A Shumaker, S M Resnick, M A Espeland, C E Finch and J C Chen<sup>, </sup>Translational Psychiatry, Jan. 31, 2017)<br />
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Also discussed here: <a href="http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/biotech/sd-me-dementia-pollution-20170131-story.html">Air pollution may cause 21 percent of dementias worldwide, study suggests </a>(The San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 1, 2017)<br />
<br />
And here: <a href="http://www.alzforum.org/early-onset-familial-ad/overview/what-early-onset-familial-alzheimer-disease-efad">Early Onset Familial AD </a>(Gabrielle Strobel, ALZFORUM)<br />
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Today we review research based on longer term exposure by female mice to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particulates" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Particulates">PM 2.5</a> and how this could affect older women exposed to traffic-related air pollution in their risks of having dementia. Results indicate that women in the late 60s and 70s are 92% more likely to develop dementia if they live in areas that exceed EPA’s standards for PM2.5. The increase in the elderly and the greater risk of dementia has resulted in an overall increase in this disease, despite the improvements in levels of PM 2.5 over the last decade or two, as well as in the increase of deaths from Alzheimer’s, the sixth leading cause of death nationwide.<br />
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<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/dementia-alzheimers.jpg"><img alt="dementia-alzheimers" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-16045" height="263" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/dementia-alzheimers.jpg" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
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<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
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“Women aged 65 to 79 are 81 percent more at risk for general <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dementia" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Dementia">cognitive decline</a> and 92 percent more likely to develop dementia if they live where fine particle matter exceeds the U.S. Environmental Agency’s standards”<br />
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“Cells in the brain treat these particles as invaders and react with inflammatory responses, which over the course of time, appear to exacerbate and promote <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer%27s_disease" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Alzheimer's disease">Alzheimer’s disease</a>,”
“Since particles of this size are found in polluted air, the findings confirm recent evidence linking environmental factors, such as automotive-derived air pollution, to higher levels of dementia among people living near heavy traffic roads,”<br />
<br />
“Residing in places with fine PM exceeding EPA standards increased the risks for global cognitive decline and all-cause dementia respectively by 81 and 92%,”<br />
<br />
“ the evidence supports the schema that airborne PM accelerates neurodegenerative processes of ADRD through multiple pathways, including proamyloidogenic APP processing and other pathways independent of amyloid deposits.”<br />
<br />
“We showed that nPM exposure increased both plaque formation and neurotoxic <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyloid_beta" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Amyloid beta">Aβ</a> oligomers in cerebral cortex at 7 months (approximately equivalent to 35 years of human age, approaching peri-menopause). This implies that Aβ-dependent neurodegenerative processes in women with increased long-term PM exposure may precede cognitive declines or diagnosis of dementia, which is consistent with neuroimaging evidence for Aβ deposition even among cognitively intact individuals in their 50–60s.”<br />
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“As air pollution levels have been declining over the past 20 years, long-term exposure, especially during mid- or earlier life, may impart a greater risk”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-88795753755441455662017-02-23T08:31:00.000-05:002017-02-23T08:31:38.545-05:00Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions for 100 Cities in the USA<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GHG_per_capita_2000.svg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:left;"><img alt="Per capita anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissi..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="178" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/GHG_per_capita_2000.svg/350px-GHG_per_capita_2000.svg.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">Per capita anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by country for the year 2000 including land-use change. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GHG_per_capita_2000.svg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa5731/pdf%20">An integrated approach for estimating greenhouse gas emissions from 100 U.S. metropolitan areas </a>(12 page pdf, Samuel A Markolf, H Scott Matthews, Inês L Azevedo and Chris Hendrickson, Environmental Research Letters, Jan. 25, 2017)<br />
<br />
Today we review an approach to estimate the emissions for a large number of cities in the USA which has advantages over the traditional bottom-up approach as well as likely being more accurate because it includes production as well as consumption of carbon emissions and fuels. Emissions from individual cities ranged from 5 <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonne" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Tonne">metric tons</a> per person in Tucson to 65 meteric tons per person in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=29.9647222222,-90.0705555556&spn=0.01,0.01&q=29.9647222222,-90.0705555556%20(New%20Orleans)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="New Orleans">New Orleans</a>. In gross terms, the average emission for the 100 cities examined was 27 million metric tons per year.<br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“over 80% of the United States’ population lives in metropolitan areas and roughly 75% of the earth’s natural resources are consumed in urban areas”<br />
<br />
“bottom-up emission estimates for five sectors within a given city:
<br />
<ol>
<li>use of electricity by the community,</li>
<li>fuel use in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings (e.g.natural gas or fuel oil),</li>
<li>fuel use for on-road passenger and freight motor vehicle travel,</li>
<li>energy use in the treatment and distribution of potable water and waste water, and 5) emissions from the collection and degradation of solid waste generated by the community”</li>
</ol>
“the use of publically available national datasets to form metropolitan emission estimates significantly reduces the time, funding, and human capital that would otherwise be required for a traditional ‘bottom-up’ inventory”<br />
<br />
“We find that total 2014 metropolitan CO2 emissions range from 4.1 million metric tons in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to nearly 170 million metric tons in the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.houstontx.gov/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Houston">Houston, Texas</a>; with an overall average of 27 million metric tons.”<br />
<br />
“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_greenhouse_gas_emissions_per_capita" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="List of countries by greenhouse gas emissions per capita">Per capita emissions</a> also show a wide variation: from 5 metric tons per person in the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tucson%2C_Arizona" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Tucson, Arizona">Tucson, Arizona</a> to 65 metric tons per person in the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=30.45,-91.14&spn=1.0,1.0&q=30.45,-91.14%20(Baton%20Rouge%2C%20Louisiana)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Baton Rouge, Louisiana">Baton Rouge, Louisiana</a>”<br />
<br />
“cities might consider conducting inventories about every 5 years and shift a greater portion of their time and energy toward mitigation efforts in the interim.”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-31304733957917287342017-02-21T09:22:00.000-05:002017-02-21T09:22:21.326-05:00Air Pollution from Cruise Ships in Port and at Sea<a href="http://www.dw.com/en/hoping-for-a-fresh-sea-breeze-aboard-a-cruise-ship-better-hold-your-nose/a-37284464?utm_content=buffer09ed1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#a-26afa1cb-ec50-4b70-a168-4cc174d3ce94">Hoping for a fresh sea breeze aboard a cruise ship? Better hold your nose! </a>(Karin Jäger, DW <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Pollution">Environment</a>, Jan. 26, 2017)<br />
<br />
Also discussed here: <a href="https://blog.mares.com/nabu-cruise-rankings-2016-cruise-ships-fall-short-in-environmental-protection-2402.html%20%20">NABU Cruise Rankings 2016 : Cruise ships fall short in environmental protection </a>(MARES, Sep. 1, 2016)<br />
<br />
And here: <a href="https://en.nabu.de/issues/traffic/cruiseships.html">This stinks! - Clean up cruise ships! NABU's campaign for a cleaner cruise industry </a>(10 page pdf, NABU Background <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_ship" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Cruise ship">Cruise Ships</a>, 2015))<br />
<br />
And here: <a href="https://en.nabu.de/issues/traffic/air-testing.html%20">NABU measures air pollution in ports </a>(NABU)<br />
<br />
And here: <a href="https://www.nabu.de/downloads/150312-Scrubbers.pdf%20">Scrubbers – An economic and ecological assessment </a>(45 page pdf, Eelco den Boer, Maarten 't Hoen, DELFT for <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=52.523136,13.378625&spn=0.01,0.01&q=52.523136,13.378625%20(Naturschutzbund%20Deutschland)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Naturschutzbund Deutschland">Naturschutzbund Deutschland</a> (NABU), Mar. 13, 2015)<br />
<br />
And here: <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/transport/pdf/Report_Sulphur_Requirement.pdf%20">The 0.1% sulphur in fuel requirement as from 1 January 2015 in SECAs </a>(30 page pdf, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.70564,-9.14216&spn=0.01,0.01&q=38.70564,-9.14216%20(European%20Maritime%20Safety%20Agency)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="European Maritime Safety Agency">European Maritime Safety Agency</a>, Dec. 13, 2010)<br />
<br />
Today we review examples of pollution from cruise ships both in port and now with previously never measured pollution, at sea. One ship emits as much air pollution over the same distance travelled as 5 million cars. 38% of the NO2 and 19% of particulates in the major German cruise ship port, Hamburg, comes from maritime traffic. Only 80 ships out of 55,000 worldwide have scrubbers installed to reduce the back soot emitted. Most of the 14,000 ships sailing in European SECAs < Sulphur Emission Control Areas> every year switched to low sulphur fuels instead of installing scrubbers. The UN, through the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.imo.org/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="International Maritime Organization">International Maritime Organisation</a> (IMO), has the mandate to regulate the maritime environment internationally through its <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MARPOL_73/78" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="MARPOL 73/78">International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships</a> (so-called MARPOL protocol).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/cuise-ship-pollution.jpg"><img alt="cuise-ship-pollution" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15999" height="263" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/cuise-ship-pollution.jpg" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
"Pamphlets lead you to believe that there are blue skies and white ships - a dream-like setting…The truth is that clouds of black soot are emitted from the funnels."<br />
<br />
“In 2014 worldwide 22 million passengers went on an ocean cruise…There are more than 35 new cruise ships with a total capacity of around 100,000 passengers that will be introduced to the European market until 2020. “<br />
<br />
"Eighty percent of the fleet of ships operating in Europe either do not use any exhaust gas cleaning system or, to meet the minimum legal standards in Northern Europe, they simply use a scrubber to reduce the sulphur emissions.”<br />
<br />
“One cruise ships emits as many <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Air pollution">air pollutants</a> as five million cars on the same distance! This is because sea going vessels use heavy fuel oil for their engines, a fuel that on land would have to be disposed of as hazardous waste. Heavy fuel oil can contain up to 3,500 times more sulphur than diesel that is used for land traffic vehicles.”<br />
<br />
“most ship emissions occur in immediate vicinity of the coast, from where they are carried far into the hinterland. On a global level, two thirds of all ship emissions are generated within 400 km from the coast”<br />
<br />
“The port and its often celebrated cruise ship entries are a massive problem for the city of Hamburg. Thirty-eight percent of the nitrogen oxides and 19 percent of the particulate matter in the Hanseatic city are from maritime traffic,”<br />
<br />
“The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) of the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="United Nations">United Nations</a> sets the international framework for the regulation of pollutant reductions in sea shipping traffic. Its International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (so-called MARPOL protocol) defines in Annex VI the permissible limit values regarding sulphur and nitrogen oxides, and bans the deliberate emission of substances harmful to the ozone laye”<br />
<br />
“- Today round about 80 ships out of 55,000 worldwide have scrubbers installed; according to industry insiders up to 300 additional systems are on order….The overall majority of the 14,000 ships sailing in European SECAs every year switched to low sulphur fuels (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_oil" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Fuel oil">MGO</a>) instead of installing scrubbers”<br />
<br />
“NABU did air quality testings in different port cities, in particular next to cruise and ferry terminals….While 1,000 particles per cubic centimeter are harmless, NABU’s scientist found up to 400,000 (ppm/cm2) next to the terminals. Air pollution levels like this even surpass concentrations next to main roads with dense traffic between 50 to 80 times.”
pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-31663640683774740062017-02-16T14:46:00.000-05:002017-02-16T14:46:33.208-05:00How is the Brain Damaged by Exposure to Traffic Related Air Pollution?<a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/01/brain-pollution-evidence-builds-dirty-air-causes-alzheimer-s-dementia">The Polluted Brain - Evidence Builds that Dirty Air Causes Alzheimer’s, Dementia </a>(AAAS Science, <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/author/emily-underwood">Emily Underwood</a>Jan. 26, 2017)
Also discussed here: <a href="http://www.alzheimersanddementia.com/article/S1552-5260(14)00555-X/abstract">Particulate Air Pollutants and White Matter Brain Aging </a>(Abstract, Jiu-Chiuan Chen, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=22.5281,113.031&spn=1.0,1.0&q=22.5281,113.031%20(Xinhui%20District)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Xinhui District">Xinhui</a> Wang, Mark A. Espeland, Helena Chui, Alzheimer’s and Dementia, Jul. 2014)
And here: <a href="http://www.aimspress.com/article/10.3934/environsci.2015.2.353/pdf">Traffic-related air pollution and brain development </a>(21 page pdf, Nicholas Woodward, Caleb E. Finch and Todd E. Morgan , AIMS Environmental Science. May 6, 2015)<br />
<br />
Today we review a series of research articles that reaffirm the health risks presented to people (and mice) who breathe in air polluted by vehicles and containing <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrafine_particle" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Ultrafine particle">ultra-fine particles</a>, in particular. Signs of memory loss and Alzheimer’s are evident in mice exposed to UFP. Levels of fine air particles within 50 m of major roadways are 10 times higher than at 150 m and those within 50 m stand a 12% higher risk of developing dementia. Tests involving prenatal mice showed that fetal damage can be done by fine particles without entering the placenta. The closer people live to major roadways, the smaller their celebral brain volume. What more do city planners and public health officials need to know about running highways and traffic through cities?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/brain-pollution.png"><img alt="brain-pollution" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15995" height="566" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/brain-pollution.png" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“Typically smaller than 0.2 µm in diameter, these “ultrafine” particles fall within a broader class of air pollutants commonly referred to as PM2.5 because of their size, 2.5 µm or less. When it comes to toxicity, size matters: The smaller the particles that cells are exposed to.. the higher their levels of oxidative stress, marked by the production of chemically reactive molecules such as peroxides, which can damage DNA and other cellular structures”<br />
<br />
“living in places with PM2.5 exposures higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) standard of 12 µg/m<sup>3</sup> nearly doubled dementia risk in older women. If the finding holds up in the general population, air pollution could account for roughly 21% of dementia cases worldwide”<br />
<br />
“Neuroimaging and neuropathological studies have found that brain aging processes predominantly affect white matter (WM) in late life. Older people living in areas with high exposures to ambient particulate matter (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particulates" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Particulates">PM</a>) are more likely to have cognitive declines.”<br />
<br />
“among 6.6 million people in the province of Ontario, those living within 50 meters of a major road—where levels of fine pollutants are often 10 times higher than just 150 meters away—were 12% more likely to develop dementia than people living more than 200 meters away. “<br />
<br />
“In mice that breathed the dirty air, they have found, the brain’s microglia release a flood of inflammatory molecules, including <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumor_necrosis_factor_alpha" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Tumor necrosis factor alpha">tumor necrosis factor a</a>, which is elevated in the brains of people with <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer%27s_disease" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Alzheimer's disease">Alzheimer’s disease</a> and has been linked to memory loss. The pollution-exposed mice also showed other signs of brain damage,”<br />
<br />
“adverse health effects of air pollution exposure increase with closeness to major road… UFP <ultra-fine particles> was reduced by approximately 80% at a distance of 150 meters from the roadway..Neither PM2.5 nor PM10 decreased substantially within 150 meters …and are decreased by less than 20% at a distance of 400 m vs. 50 m from a roadway. The rate of dilution of UFP was correlated with increased cardiopulmonary mortality, inversely with distance from roadways”<br />
<br />
“The placenta may be more vulnerable to nanoparticle entry later in gestation, when the placental wall has thinned and is more vascularized, but also early in gestation before the placenta is fully formed …The period after the placenta is formed, but before maternal-fetal <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circulatory_system" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Circulatory system">circulatory systems</a> are fully developed, could be less vulnerable to pollution exposure, due to minimal blood flow to the fetus. Nanoparticles may even cause fetal damage without penetrating the placenta, e.g. in vitro, nanoparticles can cause <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_repair" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="DNA repair">DNA damage</a> even when they do not cross a cell barrier .. We note that these are not exclusionary hypotheses, and both may potentially be occurring. “<br />
<br />
“Traffic related air pollution is correlated with numerous detrimental health outcomes: increased cardiovascular mortality from adulthood exposures, and low birth weight and cognitive disorders from gestational exposure. These epidemiological observations are largely verified in animal models. “<br />
<br />
“the closer people had lived to a major roadway—and thus the more PM2.5 they had likely been exposed to—the smaller their cerebral brain volume. The association held up even after adjusting for factors such as education, smoking, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.”<br />
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<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://e360.yale.edu/digest/air-pollution-increases-risk-of-dementia-among-older-women-new-study-finds" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/377240281_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://e360.yale.edu/digest/air-pollution-increases-risk-of-dementia-among-older-women-new-study-finds" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Air Pollution Increases Risk of Dementia Among Older Women, New Study Finds</a></li>
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-76366174278696992402017-02-14T08:21:00.000-05:002017-02-14T08:21:37.317-05:00How Will We Get Around Town in 30 years and What Obstacles Need to be Overcome?<a href="https://transportist.org/2016/12/19/the-future-local-transport-system-110/%20">What will the local transport system look like in 2045? The future local transport system </a>(<a href="https://transportist.org/author/dmlevinson/">David Levinson</a>, Transportist, Dec.19, 2016)<br />
<br />
Also discussed here: <a href="https://transportist.org/2016/12/30/what-key-factors-do-you-see-driving-these-changes-over-the-next-30-years-1011/" target="_blank">What key factors do you see driving these changes over the next 30 years? </a>(<a href="https://transportist.org/author/dmlevinson/">David Levinson</a>, Transportist, Dec.19, 2016)<br />
<br />
And here: <a href="http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Our-Work/Documents/fd-scenarios-for-2042.pdf%20">Future Demand - New Zealand transport and society: Scenarios to 2042 </a>(23 page pdf, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_New_Zealand" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Government of New Zealand">New Zealand Government</a>, Nov. 2014)<br />
<br />
Today we review an interview on the future local <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/industry/Transportation" rel="wikinvest" target="_blank" title="Transportation">transportation</a> with Marcus Enoch by David Levinson and a report looking ahead to 2042 as part of <a href="http://www.transport.govt.nz/ourwork/keystrategiesandplans/strategic-policy-programme/">New Zealand project PT2045</a>. Enoch sees the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automation" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Automation">automation</a> of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Vehicle">vehicles</a>, their conversion to electric and the rise of shared mobility, as opposed to owning a vehicle, as the three most important changes. There will be a lot more single passenger, two wheeled e-cars and goods will be delivered by robot cars. Manually driven cars on public roads will be prohibited in 25 years. Urban congestion will end before 2042 with fewer, if any, private vehicles on the road. Carbon emissions will fall dramatically.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/nz-scenarios-for-2042.jpg"><img alt="nz-scenarios-for-2042" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15991" height="256" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/nz-scenarios-for-2042.jpg" width="339" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“the most important change, will be the automation of vehicles – both private and public transport vehicles.”
“The second most important change is the conversion of the vehicle fleet to being primarily electric.”<br />
<br />
“The third change .. is the rise of shared mobility, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobility_as_a_service_%28transport%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Mobility as a service (transport)">mobility-as-a-service</a>, where people won’t be owning cars, but instead will subscribe to a service, or buy the services on demand.”<br />
<br />
“there will be a lot of single passenger vehicles. The best example I have is the <a href="http://www.toyota-global.com/innovation/personal_mobility/i-road/">Toyota iRoad</a> vehicle, which is basically an enclosed motorcycle that’s safe and stabilised and, will, well before 2045, be automated. And it is safe because, not only is the vehicle designed well, with a roll bar and all that, but because all the other vehicles are also automated.”<br />
<br />
“there will be a substitution of logistic services for a lot of shopping trips, and we need to think about that. In <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_area" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Urban area">urban areas</a> the best model I have seen was a demo of using a small robot for delivering goods from stores to people’s homes”<br />
<br />
“the political system is going to have to play catch up with the technological system, and legal system is also going to be playing catch up. ..<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber_%28company%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Uber (company)">Uber</a> decided what service they were going to provide, and they did it illegally, and they got away with it”
“From an economic perspective, at the point where it’s cheaper to provide an automated vehicle than it is to provide a manually driven vehicle, people will switch over.”<br />
<br />
“25 year timeframe is probably enough for the last manually driven car to be prohibited from driving on streets or public roads most of the time.”<br />
<br />
“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_congestion" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Traffic congestion">Congestion</a> is a thing of the past. Compared to 2014, fewer people can afford to travel across and between towns by private vehicle so many urban and regional roads are relatively free of private travellers. Inter-regional bus services have increased in popularity, connecting market towns to urban centres.”<br />
<br />
“Compared to 2014, people are using all motorised forms of transport far less. People prefer exploring the digital world to travelling outside. Obesity and diabetes rates have increased because of a lack of physical exercise. People regularly try to manage their health by walking and cycling for recreation. Climate emissions from transport have fallen dramatically.”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-88045247395747754372017-02-09T09:05:00.000-05:002017-02-09T09:05:19.015-05:00How Would Vancouver Transition to a Driverless City?<a href="https://sustain.ubc.ca/sites/sustain.ubc.ca/files/GCS/2016%20Project%20Reports/Turning%20Transportation%20Challenges%20and%20Opportunities%20Presented%20by%20Autonomous%20Vehicles_Smith_2016.pdf%20">Turning Transportation Challenges and Opportunities Presented to the City of Vancouver by Autonomous Vehicles </a>(93 page pdf, Cail Smith, Greenest City Scholars Report, Aug. 31, 2016)<br />
<br />
Also discussed here: <a href="http://www.modacitylife.com/blog/vancouver-prepares-for-driverless-future">Vancouver Prepares For a Driverless Future That Includes Extra Space for Walking, Cycling, and Transit </a>(Mobility, Jan. 17, 2017)<br />
<br />
And here: <a href="http://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/transportation-2040.aspx">Transportation 2040 Plan: A transportation vision for the City of Vancouver </a>(City of Vancouver)<br />
<br />
And here: <a href="http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/Transportation_2040_Plan_as_adopted_by_Council.pdf%20">Transportation 2040 </a>(99 page pdf, Plan as adopted by <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_City_Council" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Vancouver City Council">Vancouver City Council</a>, Oct.31, 2012)<br />
<br />
Today we review plans and reports aimed at the future of Vancouver in 2040 which may include a transition to driverless or autonomous vehicles (AV) as well as meeting the target of having 2/3 of all trips made on foot, by bike or transit. With a 90% AV share, freeway congestion would be reduced by 60% from present levels and 30% of city traffic would be reduced by no need to search for parking. Garages could be converted to guest houses and garage lanes to useful parks or gardens. Shifting to AVs would save the average Canadian household $2,700 per year (4% of income) by decreasing insurance, fuel and parking costs, as well as saving the City of Vancouver $15 M/yr on maintaining and monitoring parking spots, while also reducing revenue from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parking_violation" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Parking violation">parking tickets</a> by $53M/yr (also 4% of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/metric/Revenue" rel="wikinvest" target="_blank" title="Revenue">net revenue</a>).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/driverless-vancouver.jpg"><img alt="driverless-vancouver" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15987" height="177" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/driverless-vancouver.jpg" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“We need to ensure we are proactive in meeting our <a href="http://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/transportation-2040.aspx">Transportation 2040</a> goals, and whether there are policies in the City’s toolkit to help minimize the risks and pressures automated vehicles might put on those goals.”<br />
<br />
“Transportation 2040 plan – passed unanimously by Council in October 2012 – is a key policy direction that explicitly prohibits a net increase in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Motor vehicle">motor vehicle</a> capacity on City of Vancouver streets. Once driverless dreams become a reality, this creates an exciting opportunity for building complete streets that include wider sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and bus rapid transit lines.”<br />
<br />
“In the next 30 years, the number of Vancouver residents aged 60 and over will more than double. An aging population means changes in travel patterns and more people with physical challenges getting around our city”<br />
<br />
“In the City of Vancouver, vehicles account for over 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. We can make a big difference by prioritizing <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_transport" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sustainable transport">sustainable transportation</a> choices that use renewable fuels or use fuels more efficiently (transit, ride-sharing, and low-carbon vehicles), or don’t use fuel at all (walking, cycling)”<br />
<br />
Some key targets:<br />
<br />
“By 2040, at least two-thirds of all trips will be made on foot, bike, or transit. The total number of trips by sustainable modes will grow significantly, while motor vehicle volumes will slightly decline.”<br />
<br />
“By 2020, the average distance driven per resident is reduced by 20% (from 2007 levels)”<br />
<br />
“Although the Telsa Model S and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_self-driving_car" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Google self-driving car">Google Car</a> are both well - known as “driverless” vehicles, they have very different capabilities. The Model S is only at level 3 so when its ADAS systems are engaged, the driver must still be ready to intervene at anytime. On the other hand, the Google Car is closer to level 4 or 5 and the driver is not expected to monitor the vehicle.”<br />
<br />
“Industry experts suggests that by 2040, AVs will be the primary means of transport”
“I was able to convert the garage in a laneway house for my mother-in-law. Our whole neighbourhood is doing something similar. Our back lane is a great public space.”<br />
<br />
“There also might be significant changes to or the removal of traffic signals, traffic markings and signage designed to communicate with users piloting motor vehicles. Research is already being done on autonomous intersection management (AIM) where an intersection “server” Communicates directly with vehicles rather than through traffic lights”<br />
<br />
“If AVs are able to reduce the space between vehicles in a lane,.. that with 90% AV market share, freeway congestion would be reduced to 60% of its current levels. Additionally, if AVs can drive in narrower lanes, road space can be reallocated for walking, cycling and transit paths.”<br />
<br />
“The time and VKT spent searching for parking also has a significant impact on congestion in the city; some researchers estimate 30% of city traffic can be attributed to people searching for parking “<br />
<br />
“Fewer parking spots will also reduce maintenance and monitoring costs (a $15,153,000 expense for the City in 2015) and also reduce the revenue generated from parking ($53,178,000 revenue in 2015, around 4% of total revenue).<br />
<br />
“In <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=45.4,-75.6666666667&spn=0.1,0.1&q=45.4,-75.6666666667%20(Canada)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Canada">Canada</a>, the average private vehicle sits idle for over 23 hours per day and costs over $9,000 annually if driven regularly …Initial research indicates that switching to SAVs could save individual households an average of $2,700 per year (4% of the average household budget) by decreasing insurance, fuel and parking costs “<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-2850630396879977652017-02-07T10:05:00.000-05:002017-02-07T10:05:33.141-05:00Impact of Nanoparticulates from Traffic Emissions on Viral Lung Infection <a href="http://particleandfibretoxicology.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s12989-016-0181-1?site=particleandfibretoxicology.biomedcentral.com%20">Nanoparticle exposure reactivates latent herpesvirus and restores a signature of acute infection </a>(19 page pdf, Christine Sattler, Franco Moritz, Shanze Chen, Beatrix Steer, David Kutschke, Martin Irmler, Johannes Beckers, Oliver Eickelberg, Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin, Heiko Adler and Tobias Stoeger, Particle and Fibre Toxicology, Jan. 10, 2017)<br />
<br />
Also discussed here: <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170116092028.htm">Nanoparticle exposure can awaken dormant viruses in the lungs </a>(ScienceDaily, Jan. 17, 2017)<br />
<br />
Today we review a lab experiment on cells in mice that examined the impact of exposure to nanoparticles (NP). Results indicate that these nanoparticles can “reawaken” latent herpes viruses in the lung by weakening the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_system" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Immune system">immune system</a> and allowing viruses to invade the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Host_%28biology%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Host (biology)">host cell</a>. The researchers would like to examine if these results can be transferred to humans and if so, if exposure to emissions from combustion and traffic-<br />
related emissions suggest another serious impact. <br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/nanoparticles-and-virus.jpg"><img alt="nanoparticles-and-virus" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15983" height="241" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/nanoparticles-and-virus.jpg" width="283" /></a><br />
<b> Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
"From previous model studies we already knew that the inhalation of nanoparticles has an inflammatory effect and alters the immune system,.. an exposure to nanoparticles can reactivate latent herpes viruses in the lung."<br />
<br />
“There are several publications providing evidence that the presence of carbon-based NP has an influence on virus infection in mice or in cells.”<br />
<br />
“If the immune system becomes weakened or if certain conditions change, the viruses become active again, begin to proliferate and destroy the host cell.”
“further experiments with human cells demonstrated that <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epstein%E2%80%93Barr_virus" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Epstein–Barr virus">Epstein-Barr</a> viruses are also 'awakened' when they come into contact with the nanoparticles.”<br />
<br />
“They detected a significant increase in viral proteins, which are only produced with active virus proliferation …Metabolic and gene expression analyses also revealed patterns resembling acute infection,"<br />
<br />
“we show that exposure of latently infected cells or tissues to NP leads to reactivation of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus_latency" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Virus latency">latent virus</a> accompanied by an increase in viral proteins and metabolome- and transcriptome-signatures that can also be found in acute virus infection.”<br />
<br />
“Many people carry herpes viruses, and patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are particularly affected…If the results are confirmed in humans, it would be important to investigate the molecular process of the reactivation of latent herpes viruses induced by particle inhalation. Then we could try to influence this pathway therapeutically."<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-48025133228521994922017-02-02T07:43:00.000-05:002017-02-02T07:43:45.245-05:00How Does the Environment Affect Perceived Wait Times at Transit Stops?<a href="http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/doi/abs/10.3141/2543-09%20">Transit Stop Environments and Waiting Time Perception Impacts of Trees, Traffic Exposure, and Polluted Air </a>(Abstract, <a href="http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/author/Lagune-Reutler%2C+Marina">Marina Lagune-Reutler</a><a href="http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/doi/abs/10.3141/2543-09#d10053e63">Related information</a>, <a href="http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/author/Guthrie%2C+Andrew">Andrew Guthrie</a><a href="http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/doi/abs/10.3141/2543-09#d10053e76">Related information</a>, <a href="http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/author/Fan%2C+Yingling">Yingling Fan</a><a href="http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/doi/abs/10.3141/2543-09#d10053e89">Related information</a>, and <a href="http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/author/Levinson%2C+David">David Levinson</a>, <a href="http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/loi/trr">Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board</a>, Jan. 9, 2017)<br />
<br />
Also discussed here: <a href="https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/180075/TRPerceptionsEnvironment.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y">Transit Riders’ Perception of Waiting Time and Stops, Surrounding Environments </a>(17 page MS Word, Marina Lagune-Reutler, Andrew Guthrie, Yingling Fan, David Levinson, Draft submitted to <a href="http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/loi/trr">Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board</a>, July 2015)<br />
<br />
Today we review research based on over 800 responses from users of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transport" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Public transport">public transit</a> in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.minneapolismn.gov/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Minneapolis">Minneapolis, MN</a>. The key factor studied was the wait times –both real and perceived- and how this varied with the type of environment found at bus and transit stops. Results indicate that polluted air and the presence of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_congestion" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Traffic congestion">heavy traffic</a> near the stops tended to increase the length of perceived wait time when this was over 5 minutes while the presence of trees and light traffic shortened the perceived wait time. Conclusions and recommendations to encourage more transit use include locating transit lines away from traffic and heavily polluted areas and planting trees and foliage near the stops. Canadians and those in cold climates would be heartened by the finding that more or less snow has little effect on transit users who, if anything were more likely to happy they<br />
were not driving a private car.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/transit-and-aq.png"><img alt="transit-and-aq" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15977" height="269" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/transit-and-aq.png" width="468" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“research on pedestrian design finds that high-quality and natural environments reduce stress and encourage walking and bicycling. It seems reasonable that similar effects would apply for transit users on the basis of the environments around transit stops”<br />
<br />
“For waits longer than 5 min, perceptible pollution and exposure to traffic led to significant overestimates of waiting time. Riders waiting at stops with dense, mature tree cover, however, significantly underestimated their waiting times”<br />
<br />
“regular riders have relatively lower burdens for waiting than occasional transit users. Passengers’ negative emotions such as anxiety, boredom or stress tend to increase <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_perception" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Time perception">time perception</a> of time while distractions appear to reduce their wait time estimates”<br />
<br />
“women perceive longer waiting time at stops or stations located in an unsafe environment:at a simple curbside bus stop, a 10 minute wait seems to take nearly half an hour.”<br />
<br />
“The effect of dense, mature tree cover is strong enough to compensate for the effects of both air pollution and traffic awareness”<br />
<br />
“The results strongly support the research hypothesis that the surrounding environment of transit stops and stations affects transit user’s wait time perception. They show in particular that air pollution, traffic awareness, and presence of mature trees are significantly correlated with wait time perception.”<br />
<br />
“The effect of the snow cover is unexpectedly positive and shows that the weather does not affect negatively transit users’ time perception. Transit users may be happy about the fact they aren’t driving, and alternatively, transit users on such days may have a high tolerance for cold weather, due to self selection.”<br />
<br />
“the results suggest that the more trees are present, the shorter the wait time is perceived by riders while the more polluted and exposed to the traffic the more transit users tend to overestimate wait time. These findings advocate for high quality urban environment surrounding stops and stations.”<br />
<br />
“Creating exclusive <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-occupancy_vehicle_lane" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="High-occupancy vehicle lane">transit lanes</a> or streets reserved for transit, bicycles and pedestrians (where feasible) are likely to reduce waiting time perceptions the most, due to low traffic volumes in terms of vehicle frequency compared with automotive traffic.”<br />
<br />
“the alignment of transit routes and the location of stops avoiding highly polluted areas where possible without affecting travel demand can also contribute to shorter wait time especially when headways are greater than five minutes”<br />
<br />
“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_planting" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Tree planting">Planting trees</a> around stops offers local authorities an opportunity to significantly improve users' wait time perception,”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-29450466718774118152017-01-31T15:53:00.000-05:002017-01-31T15:53:23.477-05:00Living Close to Traffic and the Risk of Dementia<a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-01/tl-tll010317.php">Living close to major roads linked to small increase in dementia risk </a>(Abstract, the Lancet, Jan.4, 2017)<br />
<br />
Also discussed here: <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/356/bmj.j44">Living near major roads is associated with increased dementia risk, study finds </a>(Susan Mayor, The British Medical Journal, Jan. 5, 2017)<br />
<br />
And here: <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170104192302.htm">Living near major traffic linked to higher risk of dementia </a>(<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_health" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Public health">Public Health</a> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=50.0,-85.0&spn=10.0,10.0&q=50.0,-85.0%20(Ontario)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Ontario">Ontario</a>, Jan. 4, 2017)<br />
<br />
And here: <a href="http://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/environmentalhealth/62350">Does Living by a Busy Road Boost Dementia Risk? </a>Exposure to heavy traffic tied to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dementia" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Dementia">cognitive decline </a>(Alexandria Bachert , MedPage Today, Jan. 4, 2017)<br />
<br />
Today we review a study with over 6.5 million people living in Ontario that examined the impact of living near high traffic roadways and the incidence of dementia, the first time such a study has been conducted in Canada. Results indicate a 7 percent higher risk for those who live within 50m (half a city block)compared to those who live more than 200 m from these roadways who have no higher risk. The specific pollutants found responsible include PM2.5 and NO2. Interesting that other neurological disorders such as <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_disease" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Parkinson's disease">Parkinson's disease</a> or multiple sclerosis were found to not have a higher risk.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/dementia.jpg"><img alt="dementia" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15974" height="308" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/dementia.jpg" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“Dementia is more common in people who live within 50 metres of a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Highway">major road</a> than those who live further away.. up to one in 10 (7-11%) cases of dementia among those who live within 50 metres of a major road [1] could be attributed to traffic exposure”<br />
<br />
“While there was no association between living near a road and Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis, dementia was more common the closer people lived to busy roads.”<br />
<br />
“The risk of developing dementia reduced as people lived further away from a main road - with a 7% higher risk in developing dementia among those living within 50 metres, a 4% higher risk at 50-100 metres, a 2% higher risk at 101-200 metres and no increase in risk in those living more than 200 metres away.”<br />
<br />
"Our study suggests that busy roads could be a source of environmental stressors that could give rise to the onset of dementia. Increasing population growth and urbanisation has placed many people close to heavy traffic, and with widespread exposure to traffic and growing rates of dementia, even a modest effect from near-road exposure could pose a large public health burden. More research to understand this link is needed, particularly into the effects of different aspects of traffic, such as air pollutants and noise."<br />
<br />
"The significant association of newly diagnosed cases of dementia in the study period between 2001 and 2012 with the proximity to traffic road less than 50 m-300 m versus more than 300 m, and the robust observation of dementia involving predominantly urban versus rural residents, opens up a crucial global health concern for millions of people..”<br />
<br />
“exposures to nitrogen dioxide (NO<sub>2</sub>) and fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) on the basis of postal code addresses were related to dementia, and adjusting for these two pollutants attenuated its association with roadway proximity. This showed that the effect of living near a busy road may, at least in part, operate through this mechanism”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-70074017191579674052017-01-26T08:28:00.000-05:002017-01-26T08:28:02.479-05:00What is the biggest influence for commuters to walk, bike or drive a car?<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136984781630571X%20%20">On time and ready to go: An analysis of commuters’ punctuality and energy levels at work or school </a>(Abstract, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136984781630571X">Charis Loong</a> , <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136984781630571X">Dea van Lierop</a> , <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136984781630571X">Ahmed El-Geneidy</a>, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13698478">Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour</a>, Dec. 23, 2016)<br />
<br />
Also discussed here: <a href="http://www.citylab.com/commute/2016/12/cyclists-are-winning-commuting/511622/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheAtlanticCities+%28CityLab%29">Cyclists Are Winning Commuting </a>(Andrew Small, The <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_City%2C_New_Jersey" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Atlantic City, New Jersey">Atlantic City</a> Lab, Dec. 23, 2016)<br />
<br />
Today we review research into commuting choices made by staff and students at <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=45.5041666667,-73.5747222222&spn=0.01,0.01&q=45.5041666667,-73.5747222222%20(McGill%20University)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="McGill University">McGill</a> University in Canada’s second largest city, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="Montreal">Montreal</a>. Although Montreal is hilly and quite cold and snowy in the winter, its <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Cycling">cyclists</a> and pedestrians are relatively well served by its city’s administration and policies as reflected in the infrastructure provided for pedestrians and cycling. Montreal has by far the best organized and extensive car free days each year. Montreal was the first city in Canada to have segregated bike lanes in its downtown.<br />
<br />
The study of McGill’s commuters reveals that, unlike what most people assume, commuting time per se is not the most important factor- punctuality and feeling energized on arrival are, while noting that the longest time for commutes were those taken by <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transport" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Public transport">public transit</a> or by private vehicle. If applicable elsewhere (and this may not be valid in cities where infrastructure is poor, where the commuters are older or where winter snow is too much of a barrier), this means that city transportation planners might have to give priority to punctuality and the benefits of arriving refreshed when deciding on improvements for commuters in their cities.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/montreal-cycling.jpg"><img alt="montreal-cycling" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15970" height="312" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/montreal-cycling.jpg" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
<b> </b>
“analyzed the commuting patterns of the students, staff, and faculty at the school located in downtown Montreal, surveying 5,599 people at the campus in 2013.”<br />
<br />
“For the commuters at McGill University, pedestrians had the shortest average commute (about 18.5 minutes), followed by cyclists (23.5 minutes), drivers (32.5 minutes), and transit riders (43.5 minutes).”<br />
<br />
“Walkers skewed significantly to younger students, while drivers tended to be older staff and faculty, and cyclists and public-transit riders fell somewhere in the middle.”<br />
<br />
“weather conditions and mode of transportation have significant impacts on an individual’s energy at work and punctuality.”<br />
<br />
“drivers have the lowest odds of feeling energized and the highest odds of arriving late for work.”
“Cyclists, meanwhile, have the highest odds of feeling energized and being punctual.”<br />
<br />
“satisfaction with travel mode is associated with higher odds of feeling energized and being punctual. With these findings in mind, policy makers should consider developing strategies that aim to increase the mode satisfaction of commuters.”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-79730982044112003312017-01-24T08:03:00.000-05:002017-01-24T08:03:57.334-05:00How Are Weather Extremes Linked to Climate Change?<a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/extreme-event-attribution-climate-versus-weather-blame-game%20">Extreme event attribution: the climate versus weather blame game</a> (<a href="https://www.climate.gov/author/rebecca-lindsey">Rebecca Lindsey</a>, NOAA Climate, Dec. 15, 2016)<br />
<br />
Today we review a paper that describes the statistical process of attributing short term weather <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_events" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Rare events">extreme events</a> to the longer term changes underway as a result of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Climate change">climate change</a>, whether that is due to natural or man-made burning of carbon fuels. It is important to understand the meaning of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_period" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Return period">return periods</a>. While the probability of a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100-year_flood" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="100-year flood">100 year flood</a> in a given year is 1%, the probability of the same flood over a period of 50 years is 40%. The blaming of an event on climate change depends on how good the observations of past events are, how well climate models can simulate the specific event and how well the physical processes are known and their association with climate change. Extended heat or cold events are more attributable than short term <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderstorm" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Thunderstorm">convective storms</a> where the cross links are not as well understood.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/extreme-events.png"><img alt="extreme-events" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15965" height="323" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/extreme-events.png" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b>
<br />
<h3>
“What is extreme event attribution?</h3>
<ul>
<li>tells us how much of the credit or risk for an event (or type of events) should go to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Global warming">global warming</a> and how much should go to natural <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Weather">weather patterns</a> or random <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Climate change">climate variability</a>.”</li>
</ul>
<h3>
“What can extreme event attribution tell us?</h3>
<ul>
<li>whether global warming made (or will make) an event more likely than it would have been without the rise in greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels.</li>
<li>It can tell us if the average number of years between similar events is shorter or longer than it used to be.</li>
<li>It can tell us what the risk is for a given <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_weather" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Extreme weather">extreme weather event</a> and if and how much global warming has increased that risk”</li>
</ul>
“Sigmas are used to describe the range of natural variability in a given climate or weather characteristic. For most types of climate data, there are many more observations close to the average (within 1 or 2 sigmas) than there are far away. So, if a climate expert describes a heavy rain event as a “5-sigma” event, she is talking about rainfall so extreme that it was 5 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution#/media/File:Empirical_Rule.PNG">standard deviations </a>away from the average high tide water level—way out at the tail end of the range of all values that have been observed.”
<br />
<h3>
“So what does a hundred-year event mean?</h3>
<ul>
<li>The risk that a 100-year event will happen this year, or next year, or any single year is low: 1% chance that it will happen, 99% chance that it won’t. But the chance that it will happen within a given 20-year period is 18%. Within any 50-year period, 40%. Within any 100-year period, 63%. By the time 500 years have passed, there’s less than a 1% chance that such an event <i>won’t </i>have happened.”</li>
</ul>
<h3>
“Why are some events more difficult than others to connect to global warming?</h3>
Attribution analysis depends on ‘three pillars’ of scientific knowledge:
<br />
<ul>
<li>The quality of the observational record,</li>
<li>The ability of models to simulate a given type of extreme event, and</li>
<li>How well we understand the physical processes that create an event and how global warming may influence those processes.</li>
</ul>
For event types where all three of these pillars are strong, our confidence in the results is higher. If any of the three pillars is weak, it becomes harder to conduct an attribution study, and our confidence in the results is lower. In general, scientists have the highest confidence for heat events because all three of the pillars are strong”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-58563715342902283642017-01-19T08:44:00.000-05:002017-01-19T08:44:40.806-05:00Do Trees in Cities Help or Harm Our Health?<a href="https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/GID-PHG92/documents/draft-guideline">Air pollution: outdoor air quality and health </a>(National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Dec.1, 2016)<br />
<br />
Also discussed here: <a href="http://qz.com/851703/trees-could-make-urban-pollution-even-worse/?utm_source=digg&utm_medium=email" target="_blank">Trees could make urban pollution even worse <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(quartz, Dec.6, 2016)</span></a><br />
<br />And here: <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/srep11610%20">Neighborhood greenspace and health in a large urban center </a>(Nature, Scientific Reports, Jul. 9, 2015)<br />
<br />
Today we review a guide about <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Air pollution">urban air pollution</a> that looks into the role that street trees play with respect to reducing air pollution. The overall conclusion was that trees are unlikely to reduce air pollution and could add to it, especially if the trees reduce ventilation of air currents. This is true also of the more recent use of green walls. It is also acknowledged [in a Toronto study]that urban trees can improve health – as much as a $10,000 raise or feeling 7 years younger. Pine trees are singled out as a particular contributer to urban pollution through their emissions of volatile organic compounds (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Dutch East India Company">VOC</a>) which combine with the NO2 in car emissions to produce low level ozone, one of a handful of pollutants harmful to health.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/tree-area-toronto.jpg"><img alt="tree-area-toronto" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15958" height="344" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/tree-area-toronto.jpg" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_forestry" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Urban forestry">Street trees</a> were unlikely to reduce air pollution in most street designs and could worsen it in some cases,”
“Leaves and branches slow air currents, causing pollutants to settle out.”<br />
<br />
“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_area" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Urban area">Urban</a> trees and plants can improve mental and physical health - an average of 10 extra trees per block made people living there feel like they would be much healthier—as much as a $10,000 raise or being seven years younger would”<br />
<br />
“not all trees are equal. The pungency of a cedar, eucalyptus, or pine woodland, to name a few examples, comes from a blend of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in these species. When these <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compound" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Volatile organic compound">VOCs</a> interact with the nitrogen oxide that is in car emissions, in the presence of sunlight, <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/the-city-trees-that-pose-a-threat-to-human-health-1.2548050">they produce ozone</a>—at ground level, the pollutant can be harmful enough to <a href="http://sph.berkeley.edu/ozone-linked-heart-disease-deaths">cause heart disease</a>.”<br />
<br />
“having 10 more trees in a city block, on average, improves health perception in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $10,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $10,000 higher median income or being 7 years younger. … having 11 more trees in a city block, on average, decreases cardio-metabolic conditions in ways comparable to an increase in annual personal income of $20,000 and moving to a neighborhood with $20,000 higher median income or being 1.4 years younger.”<br />
<br />
“In 2010 the total mortality burden of human-produced PM2.5 in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.5072222222,-0.1275&spn=0.1,0.1&q=51.5072222222,-0.1275%20(London)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="London">London</a> was 9 52,630 life-years lost and of long-term exposure to NO2 was up to 88,113 life-years 10 lost …The health impact of PM2.5 pollution from human activities in the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.5,-0.116666666667&spn=0.1,0.1&q=51.5,-0.116666666667%20(United%20Kingdom)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="United Kingdom">UK</a> is estimated to 15 cost between £8.5 billion and £18.6 billion a year “<br />
<br />
“Where solid barriers are planned alongside major roads (sometimes 10 used to protect local people from noise) consider whether action is 11 needed to mitigate any adverse effects on air quality…Take into account the effect that trees can have on street ventilation, based on where they are planted and how they are maintained, to avoid creating areas of poorer air quality.”<br />
<br />
“Evidence showed that street trees and green walls or roofs have a mixed effect on 20 street air quality – in some cases they restrict street ventilation causing poorer air 21 quality, in others they improve it “<br />
<br />
“Leaves and branches slow air currents, causing pollutants to settle out. They may also act as 'sinks' for particulates and chemicals that may have direct or indirect effects on air quality (in particular, volatile organic compounds [VOCs]). The extent to which this is the case depends on factors such as species, time of year and growing conditions.”<br />
<br />
“air quality might deteriorate at street level near vehicle sources if ventilation were restricted, while improving near first floor windows above the canopy. Although it is important to avoid the possible negative”pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-85041404160841691382017-01-17T09:10:00.000-05:002017-01-17T09:10:58.783-05:00The Impact of Traffic-Related Air Pollution on Cloud Formation<a href="http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/16/14635/2016/acp-16-14635-2016.pdf%20">Effect of vehicular traffic, remote sources and new particle formation on the activation properties of cloud condensation nuclei in the megacity of São Paulo, Brazil </a>(22 page pdf, Carlos Eduardo Souto-Oliveira, Maria de Fátima Andrade, Prashant Kumar, Fábio Juliano da Silva Lopes, Marly Babinski, and Eduardo Landulfo<sup>,</sup> Atmos. Chem. Phys., Nov. 24, 2016)<br />
<br />
Today we review research on the impact <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_emissions_control" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Vehicle emissions control">vehicle emissions</a> have on <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Cloud">cloud formation</a> in the largest city in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_America" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="South America">South America</a> with a 20M population and 7 M vehicles. Such a concentration of emissions may have global impacts on precipitation. Cloud condensation nuclei in this city originate from three sources: vehicle emissions, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomass" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Biomass">biomass burning</a> in the vast tropical forests and from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_salt" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sea salt">sea-salt</a>. Careful direct and indirect (lidart) measurements over a four month period revealed that vehicles were predominant in producing these nuclei with two diurnal maxima during rush hours.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/trap-and-clouds.jpg"><img alt="trap-and-clouds" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15954" height="184" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/trap-and-clouds.jpg" width="222" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“Atmospheric aerosol is the primary source of cloud condensation nuclei (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_condensation_nuclei" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Cloud condensation nuclei">CCN</a>). The microphysics and chemical composition of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerosol" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Aerosol">aerosols</a> can affect cloud development and the precipitation process.”<br />
<br />
“The high concentrations of CCN in the air favor the formation of clouds with small droplets, which can lead to suppression of precipitation in shallow and short-lived clouds”<br />
<br />
“Primary aerosols are emitted into the atmosphere directly by anthropogenic and natural sources. In contrast, secondary aerosols are formed in the atmosphere through the nucleation of no- or low-volatile gases containing inorganic and organic compounds, followed by growth to larger particles”<br />
<br />
“With over 20 million inhabitants, the MASP [Metropolitan Area of São Paulo] is the biggest megacity in South America. Therefore, the MASP represents an important city for global-scale atmospheric studies. The MASP fleet comprises more than 7 million vehicles, which constitute one of the main sources of particles, together with a variety of industries and construction activities “<br />
<br />
“The PNCs [particle number concentration]were highest between 07:00 and 19:00 LT, whereas they were lowest between 19:00 and 07:00 LT (Fig. 2b), hereafter referred to as the daytime and nighttime periods, respectively. During the daytime period, PNCs were elevated, especially during the rush hours, which are primarily associated with vehicular emissions. However, CCN peaks showed the opposite behavior, CCN concentrations being higher during the afternoon and the nighttime period. “<br />
<br />
“in the MASP, the morning rush occurs between 07:00 and 10:00 LT, whereas the afternoon rush occurs between 17:00 to 20:00 LT. The decrease began, and the lower values of AR [Mean activation ratio] occurred, during the morning rush and formation of a secondary aerosol. Vehicular traffic and secondary aerosol formation constitute the main sources of particles in megacities such as the MASP”<br />
<br />
“The regional atmosphere is highly affected by vehicular traffic emissions, and lower by remote sources such as biomass burning and sea-salt transport.”<br />
<br />
“Our results show the influence that vehicular traffic, long-range transport of sea salt, biomass-burning plumes and NPF events have on CCN properties”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-18903039670486752372017-01-12T08:19:00.000-05:002017-01-12T08:19:08.523-05:00Are Regional (not Global) Interventions Needed to Reduce Impacts and Mitigate Climate Change? <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pacific_Shore.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:left;"><img alt="Two people on the shore of the Pacific Ocean" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="263" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Pacific_Shore.JPG/350px-Pacific_Shore.JPG" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016EF000450/pdf%20">The Rationale for Accelerating Regionally Focused Climate Intervention Research </a>(17 page pdf, Michael C. MacCracken, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Earth">Earth's</a> Future, Nov. 14, 2016)<br />
<br />
Today we review a proposal to focus on particular regions where effort to reduce climate impacts would be more effective and likely have fewer unintended negative consequences than efforts aimed at the globe as a whole. Included in the potential approaches are modifying arctic warming by injecting <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfate_aerosol" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sulfate aerosol">sulfate aerosols</a> directly into the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Arctic">Arctic</a> atmosphere, moderate the intensity of tropical cyclones by brightening cloud albedoes, slowing the melting of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=64.1666666667,-51.7333333333&spn=0.1,0.1&q=64.1666666667,-51.7333333333%20(Greenland)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Greenland">Greenland</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-90.0,0.0&spn=1.0,1.0&q=-90.0,0.0%20(Antarctic%20ice%20sheet)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Antarctic ice sheet">Antarctic ice sheets</a> by blocking <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_stream" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Ice stream">ice streams</a>, and compensate for the reduced cooling from SO2 emissions in Asia by brightening the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=0.0,-160.0&spn=0.1,0.1&q=0.0,-160.0%20(Pacific%20Ocean)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Pacific Ocean">Pacific Ocean</a>.<br />
<br />
<div>
</div>
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“Global-scale climate intervention is seen as a potential emergency backstop, even though the impacts from initiating melting of the polar ice sheets and biodiversity loss may well be irreversible and even undertaking testing steps in the intervention process outside the laboratory are controversial, at best”<br />
<br />
“model-based simulations ..… project <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperature_record" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Temperature record">global average temperature</a> to increase to 3-4ºC above its preindustrial level by 2100 “<br />
<br />
“surface-based approaches to altering energy flows as a means for moderating adverse regional impacts might well pose less difficult governance challenges and more regionally constrained evaluations of intended outcomes and unintended consequences. “
“near-term reductions in positive radiative forcing could most rapidly be achieved by reducing the atmospheric loadings of short-lived species (particularly methane, black carbon, and tropospheric ozone). “<br />
<br />
“The potential for <b>moderating amplified Arctic warming</b>:
<br />
<ul>
<li>high-latitude injection of sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere not only cooled the Arctic, but also, due to their roughly one-year half-life, spread to sub-Arctic latitudes and depressed the summer monsoon.</li>
<li><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_energy" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Potential energy">Potential</a> approaches ....include brightening land, ocean, and clear and/or cloudy skies during the sunlit season .. reversing the warming influence caused by reducing air pollutant emissions flowing into the region … and, during the fall and winter seasons, cirrus thinning … bypassing the thermal barrier created by the sea ice ..and ice thickening by pumping sea water up onto existing sea ice.”</li>
</ul>
“The potential for <b>moderating ocean warming in the tropical cyclone intensification zones</b>:<br />
* moderate the intensification effect of warmer ocean waters in only a few specific regions, so the amount of sea salt and/or sulfate aerosols needed to brighten clouds in only a few regions might well remain within reasonable bounds”<br />
<br />
“The potential for <b>slowing mass loss from the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets</b>:<br />
*In addition to approaches involving physically blocking the exits of ice streams that may well be unworkable, approaches to consider might include cloud brightening, injection of reflective bubbles, and vertical mixing to lower the temperature of the waters that are observed to be inducing melting at the faces of ice streams. “<br />
<br />
“The potential for a <b>regional replacement for the loss of global sulfate cooling</b>:
<br />
<ul>
<li>the centroid of the 0.5-1.0ºC cooling influence resulting from SO2 emissions has moved from the North <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=0.0,-30.0&spn=0.1,0.1&q=0.0,-30.0%20(Atlantic%20Ocean)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Atlantic Ocean">Atlantic basin</a> to southern and eastern Asia, a region where the per-ton-of-emission influence of SO2 emissions is likely larger due to the higher amounts of incoming solar radiation</li>
<li>inducing modest clear and cloudy sky brightening in the troposphere over the vast Pacific Ocean that would cause changes in the global energy balance comparable to those induced by the present highly concentrated, health-damaging sulfate loading presently centered over China, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=28.6133333333,77.2083333333&spn=0.1,0.1&q=28.6133333333,77.2083333333%20(India)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="India">India</a>, and downwind would seem to be possible as an alternative global-scale climate intervention”</li>
</ul>
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-61855784690597030702017-01-10T17:52:00.000-05:002017-01-10T17:52:08.336-05:00How Do Air Pollution Alerts Affect Public Health Use?<a href="http://jech.bmj.com/content/70/12/1184.full.pdf+html%20">Effects of an air pollution personal alert system on health service usage in a high-risk general population: a quasi-experimental study using linked data </a>(7 page pdf, <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/search?author1=R+A+Lyons&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">R A Lyons</a>, <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/search?author1=S+E+Rodgers&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">S E Rodgers</a>, <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/search?author1=S+Thomas&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">S Thomas</a>, <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/search?author1=R+Bailey&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">R Bailey</a>, <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/search?author1=H+Brunt&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">H Brunt</a>, <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/search?author1=D+Thayer&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">D Thayer</a>, <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/search?author1=J+Bidmead&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">J Bidmead</a>, <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/search?author1=B+A+Evans&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">B A Evans</a>, <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/search?author1=P+Harold&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">P Harold</a>, <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/search?author1=M+Hooper&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">M Hooper</a>, <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/search?author1=H+Snooks&sortspec=date&submit=Submit">H Snooks</a>, J Epidemiol Community Health, May 23, 2016)<br />
<br />
Today we review an analysis of the reaction of an “intervention” group of patients with air pollution- related illnesses (cardio-respiratory and COPD) to alerts produced by the UK’s airAware alert system over a two year period, as measured by visits to hospital <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_department" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Emergency department">emergency departments</a>, compared to a control group which were not similarly afflicted. Results indicate a doubling of emergency admissions and four times the number of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_disease" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Respiratory disease">respiratory conditions</a> for the intervention group compared to the control group. The authors conclude that some health interventions or alerts beyond a certain distribution level are harmful in terms of health service utilisation.<br />
<br />
.
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/air-alerts.jpg"><img alt="air-alerts" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15845" height="212" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/air-alerts.jpg" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“The airAware system was a novel development because it integrated near real-time data rather than forecasting. Its design facilitated early identification of local air pollution problems and issued timely warnings of air pollution episodes reflecting levels of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particulates" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Particulates">particulate matter</a> (measured as particulate matter 10 μm or less in diameter”<br />
<br />
“The number of messages per day was limited to three; on any single day no more than three alerts could be issued. Only one alert was issued for the day unless a higher pollution trigger level was met during the daily alerting period.”<br />
<br />
“The intervention group experienced a doubling of emergency admissions for all relevant conditions and a fourfold admissions increase for respiratory conditions”<br />
<br />
“Our findings raise questions about the trade off between harms and benefits of air pollution alerting services. .. There is a growing evidence base demonstrating some public health interventions are harmful. Wider roll-out of such systems does not appear to be warranted given the current evidence base.“<br />
<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-5165329643653332822017-01-05T07:52:00.000-05:002017-01-05T07:52:29.682-05:00How Does Air Pollution Accelerate Aging?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Telomere.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:left;"><img alt="Telomere" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="180" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Telomere.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">Telomere (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Telomere.png" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.impactjournals.com/oncotarget/index.php?journal=oncotarget&page=article&op=download&path%5B%5D=12903&path%5B%5D=40858">Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with biological aging</a>
(16 page pdf, Cavin K. Ward-Caviness, Jamaji C. Nwanaji-Enwerem, Kathrin Wolf, Simone Wahl, Elena Colicino, Letizia Trevisi, Itai Kloog, Allan C. Just, Pantel Vokonas, Josef Cyrys, Christian Gieger, Joel Schwartz, Andrea A. Baccarelli, Alexandra Schneider and Annette Peters, Oncotarget, Oct. 25, 2016)<br />
<br />
Also discussed here: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere">Telomere (Wikipedia)</a><br />
<br />
Today we review research conducted with older men and women (median age 74) where several measures of aging and old age illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognition" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Cognition">cognitive abilities</a>, were studied including chromosome characteristics (telomere length) and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_blood_cell" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="White blood cell">immune cell</a> counts. Results indicate that air pollution exposure over a long time can damage the DNA, alter immune cell counts and add to oxidative stress with greater impact on men than women.
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“Accelerated biological aging was assessed using telomere length (TeloAA) and three epigenetic measures: <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigenetic_clock" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Epigenetic clock">DNA methylation age</a> acceleration (DNAmAA), extrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (correlated with immune cell counts, EEAA), and intrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (independent of immune cell counts, IEAA).<br />
<br />
“A telomere is a region of repetitive <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nucleotide">nucleotide</a> sequences at each end of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromosome">chromosome</a>, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration or from fusion with neighboring chromosomes… In humans, average telomere length declines from about 11 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_pair#Length_measurements">kilobases</a> at birt to less than four kilobases in old age, with average rate of decline being greater in men than in women<br />
<br />
“Air pollution exposure is associated with cardiovascular disease, impaired cognitive function , cancer, metabolic outcomes, and mortality. All of the aforementioned air pollution associated outcomes are also associated with aging …have linked air pollution exposure with <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_repair" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="DNA repair">DNA damage</a>, epigenetic alterations, inflammation, and oxidative stress ”<br />
<br />
“Both accelerated and decelerated biological aging have been linked with negative health outcomes with accelerated aging linked to mortality and metabolic dysfunction, and decelerated biological aging associated with the development of psychosocial stress”<br />
<br />
“A 2015 study of 211 twins indicated that decreased residential traffic exposure of mothers was associated with longer placental telomere lengths indicating that long-term traffic exposure during pregnancy may be passed down and affect biological aging in utero.”<br />
<br />
“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Telomere">Telomere</a>-based and epigenetic measures of biological aging are associated with long-term exposure to air pollution and have distinct patterns of sex-specific associations.”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-63260129613028876092017-01-03T09:06:00.001-05:002017-01-03T09:06:46.138-05:00The Threat to Children’s Health from Air Pollution<a href="http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/UNICEF_Clear_the_Air_for_Children_30_Oct_2016.pdf%20">Clear the air for children - The impact of air pollution on children </a>(100 page pdf, Editor-In-Chief, David Anthony, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNICEF" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="UNICEF">UNICEF</a>, Oct. 2016)<br />
<br />
Also discussed here: <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/10/unicef-air-pollution-children%20">A Staggering Number of the World's Children Are Breathing Toxic Air </a>(Mother Jones, Oct. 31, 2016)<br />
<br />
Today we review a report that documents the impact of indoor and outdoor pollution on the children of the world who are particularly vulnerable because, for their size, they breathe more air than adults into lungs that are only beginning to develop. 300 million children live in areas with toxic air pollution and 2 billion live in areas where the air pollution exceeds minimum quality standards as set by the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.who.int/" rel="homepage" target="_blank" title="World Health Organization">World Health Organization</a>. Steps are recommended (that apply to highly developed countries and cities as well as developing countries) to reduce this toll including less pollution indoors by using ventilation, better insulation to reduce fuel burning and cleaner stoves. Outdoors, situate schools and day cares away from traffic related pollution, replace private vehicle transportation with <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transport" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Public transport">public transit</a>, walking and cycling and monitor air pollution more carefully especially as it impacts child health.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/unicef-air-pollution.png"><img alt="unicef-air-pollution" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15837" height="318" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/unicef-air-pollution.png" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_pollution" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Air pollution">Air Pollution</a>:
<br />
<ul>
<li>causes miscarriages, early delivery, and low birth weight.</li>
<li>contributes to diseases that account for almost 1 in 10 of all deaths of children under the age of five.. making air pollution one of the leading dangers to children’s health.</li>
<li>can harm the healthy <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_development" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Child development">development of children</a>’s brains.</li>
<li> is a drag on economies and societies, already costing as much as 0.3 per cent of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_world_product" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Gross world product">global GDP</a> – and rising.”</li>
</ul>
“around the world today, 300 million children live in areas with extremely toxic levels of air pollution. Approximately 2 billion children live in areas where pollution levels exceed the minimum air quality standards set by the World Health Organization.”<br />
<br />
“Every year, nearly 600,000 children under the age of five die from diseases caused or exacerbated by the effects of indoor and outdoor air pollution. Millions more suffer from respiratory diseases that diminish their resilience and affect their physical and cognitive development.”<br />
<br />
“how to protect their children
<br />
<ul>
<li>improved indoor ventilation, so smoke does not linger …</li>
<li>better insulation, so less heating fuel is burned …</li>
<li>cleaner cook stoves…More than 60 per cent of the population in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=28.6133333333,77.2083333333&spn=0.1,0.1&q=28.6133333333,77.2083333333%20(India)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="India">India</a> continue to use solid fuels in household cooking – contributing to over 100,000 child deaths associated with indoor air pollution in 2012.</li>
<li>Outside the home, it means improving urban planning so schools and playgrounds are not located in close proximity to sources of toxic pollution.</li>
<li>improving waste disposal systems …More than 40 per cent of the world’s municipal garbage is openly burned in over 160 countries. In these countries, the most deprived communities without reliable waste collection services are affected the most.</li>
<li>increasing public transportation options to reduce automobile traffic and the harmful fossil fuel emissions it produces.. In the three countries with the highest child populations (India, China and Nigeria), the number of cars is likely to grow considerably in the coming decades, which will be particularly marked in Africa, and substantial too in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Asia" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="South Asia">South Asia</a>.</li>
<li>investing in sustainable energy solutions to reduce reliance on pollution-causing sources of energy.</li>
<li>monitoring air pollution levels more carefully and including this critical data in our approach to other issues, like child health.,,, will help minimize exposure and will educate the public and policymakers on key health risks. Better monitoring can also inspire greater action by a range of public and private stakeholders.</li>
</ul>
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-60926502999075537222016-12-29T09:13:00.000-05:002016-12-29T09:13:33.281-05:00What is Important for Coastal Areas Facing Sea-Level Rise - A Literature Review<a href="http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/11/1115/pdf%20">Resilience of Infrastructure Systems to Sea-Level Rise in Coastal Areas: Impacts, Adaptation Measures, and Implementation Challenges </a>(28 page pdf, Beatriz Azevedo de Almeida and Ali Mostafavi, Sustainability, Nov. 1, 2016)<br />
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Today we summarize a literature review of research papers examining the impacts of sea level rise on coastal areas of the world which include flooding, coastal erosion, land subsidence and saltwater intrusion. A rise of only ½ a meter in the next 50 years puts at risk 150 million people and $35 trillion of assets in 20 of the world’s most vulnerable <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Port">port cities</a>. Any success in reducing carbon emissions and the associated increase via climate change in temperature, precipitation and sea level rise would allow for 30% less impact on infrastructure systems such as power stations, oil and gas refineries and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wastewater_treatment" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Wastewater treatment">wastewater treatment plants</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/sea-level-rise-impacts1.jpg"><img alt="sea-level-rise-impacts" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15834" height="257" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/sea-level-rise-impacts1.jpg" width="422" /></a>
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<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
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“Expansive areas of low elevation in many densely populated coastal areas are at elevated risk of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_surge" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Storm surge">storm surges</a> and flooding due to torrential precipitation, as a result of sea level rise.”<br />
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“A 100-year storm surge, which is expected to begin occurring every 3–20 years, could cost billions of dollars in direct damages after 1 foot of sea-level rise”
“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltwater_intrusion" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Saltwater intrusion">Salt water intrusion</a> into groundwater aquifers is one of the major impacts of sea-level rise.”<br />
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“there are 136 major port cities with more than one million inhabitants each, 13 of which are among the top 20 most populated cities in the world.”<br />
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“Many of the world’s infrastructure facilities such as power generation facilities, refineries stations, water and wastewater treatment plants, and transportation networks are located along coastlines. As <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_level" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sea level">sea levels</a> rise and coastlines erode, infrastructures are more exposed to the forces of nature and becoming structurally unstable.”<br />
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“groundwater inundation caused by sea level rise reduces the drainage capacity of storm water systems, and thus, could affect drainage and runoff infiltration…. during <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Sandy" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Hurricane Sandy">Hurricane Sandy</a> in 2012, sewage backup led to the overflow of 11 billion gallons of raw sewage into the streets, rivers, and coastal waters”<br />
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“In the U.S., a great number of coastal energy facilities are located in areas exposed to 4 feet sea-level rise. An analysis …identified 287 energy facilities at risk of flooding, spreading throughout 22 coastal states. These facilities include natural gas infrastructures, electric power plants, and oil and gas refineries.”<br />
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“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_circulation_model" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="General circulation model">Global climate models</a> suggest that global average sea level might rise 18–59 cm by 2100, if ice sheets continue to melt at the rate observed from 1993 to 2003. If the rate increases at the same trend as global temperatures warm, total sea level rise by 2100 might be 10–20 cm greater than the average projections.”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-44800984315989957502016-12-27T09:29:00.000-05:002016-12-27T09:29:12.026-05:00How do Air Pollution and Noise from Road Traffic affect High Blood Pressure in Western Europe?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Main_complications_of_persistent_high_blood_pressure.svg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:left;"><img alt="English: Main complications of persistent high..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="324" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Main_complications_of_persistent_high_blood_pressure.svg/350px-Main_complications_of_persistent_high_blood_pressure.svg.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">English: Main complications of persistent high blood pressure. Sources are found in main article: Wikipedia:Hypertension#Complications. To discuss image, please see Template_talk:Häggström diagrams. To edit, please use the svg version, convert to png and update both versions online. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Main_complications_of_persistent_high_blood_pressure.svg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
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<a href="http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/10/24/eurheartj.ehw413%20">Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and traffic noise and incident hypertension in seven cohorts of the European study of cohorts for air pollution effects (ESCAPE) </a>(Abstract, Kateryna B Fuks, Gudrun Weinmayr, Xavier Basagaña, Olena Gruzieva, Regina Hampel, Bente Oftedal, Mette Sørensen, Kathrin Wolf, Geir Aamodt, Gunn Marit Aasvang, Inmaculada Aguilera, Thomas Becker, Rob Beelen, Bert Brunekreef, Barbara Caracciolo, Josef Cyrys, Roberto Elosua, Kirsten Thorup Eriksen, Maria Foraster, Laura Fratiglioni, Agneta Hilding, Danny Houthuijs, Michal Korek, Nino Künzli, Jaume Marrugat, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Claes-Göran Östenson, Johanna Penell, Göran Pershagen, Ole Raaschou-Nielsen, Wim Swart Jr, Annette Peters, Barbara Hoffmann, European Heart Journal, Oct. 24, 2016) </div>
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Also discussed here: <a data-mce-href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161025084744.htm" href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161025084744.htm">World’s largest study shows effects of long-term exposure to air pollution and traffic noise on blood pressure </a>(ScienceDaily, Oct. 25, 2016) </div>
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<b>Key Quotes:</b> </div>
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“Long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to a greater incidence of high blood pressure, according to the largest study to investigate the effects of both air pollution and traffic noise by following over 41,000 people in five different countries for five to nine years.” </div>
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“among adults, up to one extra person per 100 people of the same age group living in the most polluted areas of cities would develop high blood pressure (hypertension) compared to those living in the less polluted areas…similar to the effect of being overweight with a body mass index (BMI) between 25-30 compared to people with normal weight” </div>
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“for every five micrograms [2] per cubic metre (5 µg/m3) of PM2.5, the risk of hypertension increased by a fifth (22%) in people living in the most polluted areas compared to those in the least polluted areas” </div>
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“people living in noisy streets, where there were average night time noise levels of 50 decibels, had a six percent increased risk of developing hypertension compared to those living on quieter streets where average noise levels were 40 decibels during the night.” </div>
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“there were higher average levels of pollution in the central and southern European study areas -- Germany and Spain -- than in the Scandinavian areas -- Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Exposure to traffic noise and traffic load was highest in the study areas of Sweden and Spain.”
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<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li-image zemanta-article-ul-li" style="background: none; display: block; float: left; font-size: 11px; list-style: none; margin: 2px 10px 10px 2px; padding: 0; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; width: 84px;"><a href="http://pollutionfreecities.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-congestion-charge-for-downtown.html" style="border-radius: 2px; box-shadow: 0px 0px 4px #999; display: block; padding: 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img src="//i.zemanta.com/373858284_80_80.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; margin: 0; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: 80px;" /></a><a href="http://pollutionfreecities.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-congestion-charge-for-downtown.html" style="background-image: none; display: block; height: 83px; line-height: 12pt; overflow: hidden; padding: 5px 2px 0 2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A Congestion Charge for Downtown Toronto: An Analysis</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-54606532121947036552016-12-22T08:45:00.000-05:002016-12-22T08:45:25.683-05:00Does Air Pollution Affect the Stock Market?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tokyo_stock_exchange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:left;"><img alt="The main trading room of the Tokyo Stock Excha..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="467" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Tokyo_stock_exchange.jpg/350px-Tokyo_stock_exchange.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w22753">The Effect of Air Pollution on Investor Behavior: Evidence from the S&P 500 </a>(Abstract, <a href="http://www.nber.org/people/anthony_heyes">Anthony Heyes</a>, <a href="http://www.nber.org/people/matthew_neidell">Matthew Neidell</a>, <a href="http://www.nber.org/people/soodeh_saberian">Soodeh Saberian</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=42.3697,-71.1127&spn=1.0,1.0&q=42.3697,-71.1127%20(National%20Bureau%20of%20Economic%20Research)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="National Bureau of Economic Research">National Bureau of Economic Research</a>, Oct. 26, 2016)<br />
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Also discussed here: <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-investors-may-want-to-keep-tabs-on-air-pollution/">Why investors may want to keep tabs on air pollution </a>(<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS_News" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="CBS News">CBS News</a>, Oct. 26, 2016) </div>
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And here: <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927539815001061%20">Air pollution and stock returns: Evidence from a natural experiment </a>(Abstract, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927539815001061">Gabriele M. Lepori</a>, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09275398">Journal of Empirical Finance</a>, Jan. 2016) </div>
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And here: <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927539811000703">Does the weather have impacts on returns and trading activities in order-driven stock markets? Evidence from China (Jing Lu</a>, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927539811000703">Robin K. Chou</a><sup>, </sup><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09275398">Journal of Empirical Finance</a>, Jan. 2012) </div>
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And here: <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167487011000146%20">Air pollution and stock returns in the US </a>(Abstract, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167487011000146">Tamir Levy</a>, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167487011000146">Joseph Yagil</a><sup>, </sup><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01674870">Journal of Economic Psychology</a>, Jun. 2011) </div>
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Today we review several reports that look at the links, if any, between investment returns and short term changes in local air quality, as examined in the stock exchanges of the <a class="zem_slink" data-mce-href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.8833333333,-77.0166666667&spn=0.1,0.1&q=38.8833333333,-77.0166666667 (United%20States)&t=h" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.8833333333,-77.0166666667&spn=0.1,0.1&q=38.8833333333,-77.0166666667%20%28United%20States%29&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="United States">USA</a>, <a class="zem_slink" data-mce-href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=41.9,12.4833333333&spn=0.1,0.1&q=41.9,12.4833333333 (Italy)&t=h" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=41.9,12.4833333333&spn=0.1,0.1&q=41.9,12.4833333333%20%28Italy%29&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Italy">Italy</a> and China. There is some evidence that higher levels of <a class="zem_slink" data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particulates" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particulates" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Particulates">fine particulate matter</a> may reduce one day returns by almost 12%. Also, when the <a class="zem_slink" data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_outcry" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_outcry" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Open outcry">trading floor</a> is near or within an area of higher air pollution, trading activity is affected.</div>
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<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
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“We hypothesize that pollution decreases the risk attitudes of investors via short-term changes in brain and/or physical health,”<br />
<br />
“Unlike other common air pollutants -- which either remain outside or break down very rapidly once indoors -- going inside reduces one’s exposure to [fine particulate matter] only minimally…a one <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_deviation" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Standard deviation">standard deviation</a> increases in ambient PM2.5 reduces same-day returns by 11.9%”<br />
<br />
“We find {USA] that air pollution is negatively related to stock returns, even when controlling for other variables. The relationship becomes weaker as the distance of the stock exchange from the polluted area increases.”<br />
<br />
“we document the existence of an air pollution effect only when trading is conducted on the floor, which provides evidence in support of the view that the air pollution effect is at least partly mediated by the behavior of the trading floor community.”<br />
<br />
“Our results [China] indicate that asset returns are unaffected by changes in mood introduced by factors including the weather and the onset and recovery from SAD… we show that in an order-driven market, environmental impacts on sentiment are likely to affect trading activities, but not returns.”pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-26918320393729469942016-12-20T08:28:00.000-05:002016-12-20T08:28:27.515-05:00How Can The US Transportation Become Carbon Free by 2050?<div class="Default">
<a href="http://www.environmentamericacenter.org/sites/environment/files/reports/Frontier%20Group%20-%2050%20Steps%20Carbon-Free%20Transpo%20-%202016_0.pdf%20">50 Steps Toward Carbon-Free Transportation - Rethinking U.S. Transportation Policy to Fight Global Warming </a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">(92 page pdf, Farontier Group, Oct. 24, 2016)</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Also discussed here: <a href="http://www.environmentamericacenter.org/reports/amc/50-steps-toward-carbon-free-transportation#.WA4cfkOXq8w.twitter">Report: Global Warming Solutions </a></span>(Environment America Research & Policy Center, Oct. 24, 2016)<br />
<br />
Today we review a report that recommends 50 steps aimed at state and federal program and policies that could make the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.8833333333,-77.0166666667&spn=0.1,0.1&q=38.8833333333,-77.0166666667%20(United%20States)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="United States">USA</a>’s transportation system <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.3130555556,126.612777778&spn=0.01,0.01&q=37.3130555556,126.612777778%20(Renewable%20energy)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Renewable energy">carbon free</a> by 2050. The steps include making <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_neutrality" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Carbon neutrality">carbon reduction</a> strategies a key priority by exploiting the growth of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Electric vehicle">electric vehicles</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicular_automation" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Vehicular automation">autonomous vehicles</a> and the sharing of cars and bicycles, adding more effective <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transport" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Public transport">public transit</a>, employing smart pricing policies and phasing out carbon intensive vehicles and fuels.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/co2-emissions-by-country1.jpg"><img alt="co2-emissions-by-country" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15760" height="466" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/co2-emissions-by-country1.jpg" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
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“Efficient electric vehicles that can be powered by clean, renewable electricity are entering the marketplace faster than the hybrid cars of a decade ago “<br />
<br />
“An explosion of technology-enabled services – from carsharing to bikesharing to Lyft and Uber – has begun to revolutionize transportation in many cities. “<br />
<br />
“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transport" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Public transport">Public transportation</a> reduces vehicle travel (and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Greenhouse gas">greenhouse gas emissions</a>) by about 10 percent in U.S. cities, and cities across the country are considering bold plans to expand access to high-quality transit.”<br />
<br />
“Cities around the world have shown that smart pricing policies can reduce congestion and encourage the use of low-carbon modes of travel.”<br />
<br />
“autonomous vehicles can be deployed in ways that can support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – especially if they facilitate the use of shared mobility services, vehicle electrification and smart pricing, and if public policy limits any increases in vehicle travel resulting from automation.”<br />
<br />
“Principles:
<br />
<ul>
<li>Climate concerns should inform every transportation policy decision…Only seven states have enforceable, economy-wide limits on carbon pollution, and, as of 2012, the vast majority of states and metropolitan planning organizations did not even consider greenhouse gas emissions in agency planning processes.</li>
<li>Low-carbon transportation should be at the front of the line for public funding … Between 1956 and 2014, 79 percent of all government capital expenditures on transportation went toward highways,</li>
<li>People should be rewarded for making low-carbon transportation choices….income tax exclusion for commuter parking subsidizes rush hour driving to the tune of more than $7 billion per year.</li>
<li>Carbon-intensive vehicles and fuels should be phased out…Federal policies have failed to tap the potential of lower-carbon fuels, with the federal Renewable Fuels Standard currently serving largely to encourage the use of corn ethanol</li>
<li><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_policy" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Public policy">Public policy</a> should encourage climate-friendly communities…some localities have begun to lift mandatory minimum parking requirements that add to the cost of new housing development and consume precious and limited urban space.</li>
<li>Public policy should foster innovation…Key state and federal policies hamper innovation by failing to account for changing circumstances such as the emergence of shared mobility services or growing demand for urban living, or by locking officials into spending or policy practices more attuned to the needs of a previous generation.”</li>
</ul>
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-17816872529912557432016-12-15T08:47:00.000-05:002016-12-15T08:47:26.480-05:00What Factors are Important for Coastal Cities Facing Sea-Level Rise - A Literature Review<a href="http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/11/1115/pdf%20">Resilience of Infrastructure Systems to Sea-Level Rise in Coastal Areas: Impacts, Adaptation Measures, and Implementation Challenges </a>(28 page pdf, Beatriz Azevedo de Almeida and Ali Mostafavi, Sustainability, Nov. 1, 2016)<br />
<br />
Today we summarize a literature review of research papers examining the impacts of sea level rise on coastal areas of the world which include flooding, coastal erosion, land subsidence and saltwater intrusion. A rise of only ½ a meter in the next 50 years puts at risk 150 million people and $35 trillion of assets in 20 of the world’s most vulnerable <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Port">port cities</a>. Any success in reducing carbon emissions and the associated increase via climate change in temperature, precipitation and sea level rise would allow for 30% less impact on infrastructure systems such as power stations, oil and gas refineries and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wastewater_treatment" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Wastewater treatment">wastewater treatment plants</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/sea-level-rise-impacts.jpg"><img alt="sea-level-rise-impacts" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15756" height="257" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/sea-level-rise-impacts.jpg" width="422" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
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<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“Expansive areas of low elevation in many densely populated coastal areas are at elevated risk of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_surge" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Storm surge">storm surges</a> and flooding due to torrential precipitation, as a result of sea level rise.”<br />
<br />
“A 100-year storm surge, which is expected to begin occurring every 3–20 years, could cost billions of dollars in direct damages after 1 foot of sea-level rise”<br />
<br />
“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltwater_intrusion" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Saltwater intrusion">Salt water intrusion</a> into groundwater aquifers is one of the major impacts of sea-level rise.”
“there are 136 major port cities with more than one million inhabitants each, 13 of which are among the top 20 most populated cities in the world.”<br />
<br />
“Many of the world’s infrastructure facilities such as power generation facilities, refineries stations, water and wastewater treatment plants, and transportation networks are located along coastlines. As <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_level" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Sea level">sea levels</a> rise and coastlines erode, infrastructures are more exposed to the forces of nature and becoming structurally unstable.”<br />
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“groundwater inundation caused by sea level rise reduces the drainage capacity of storm water systems, and thus, could affect drainage and runoff infiltration…. during <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Sandy" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Hurricane Sandy">Hurricane Sandy</a> in 2012, sewage backup led to the overflow of 11 billion gallons of raw sewage into the streets, rivers, and coastal waters”<br />
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“In the U.S., a great number of coastal energy facilities are located in areas exposed to 4 feet sea-level rise. An analysis …identified 287 energy facilities at risk of flooding, spreading throughout 22 coastal states. These facilities include natural gas infrastructures, electric power plants, and oil and gas refineries.”<br />
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“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_circulation_model" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="General circulation model">Global climate models</a> suggest that global average sea level might rise 18–59 cm by 2100, if ice sheets continue to melt at the rate observed from 1993 to 2003. If the rate increases at the same trend as global temperatures warm, total sea level rise by 2100 might be 10–20 cm greater than the average projections.”<br />
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-12882970714427651832016-12-13T11:02:00.001-05:002016-12-13T11:02:23.455-05:00How does Air Pollution and Noise from Road Traffic affect Blood Pressure?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nimby_Verkehrsberuhigung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:left;"><img alt="Car owners request measures against traffic no..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="233" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Nimby_Verkehrsberuhigung.jpg/350px-Nimby_Verkehrsberuhigung.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
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Car owners request measures against traffic noise for the road at their
home, a typical Nimby (Not In My Backyard) situation (Photo credit:
Wikipedia)<br />
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<a href="http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/10/24/eurheartj.ehw413%20">Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and traffic noise and incident hypertension in seven cohorts of the European study of cohorts for air pollution effects (ESCAPE) </a>(Abstract, Kateryna B Fuks, Gudrun Weinmayr, Xavier Basagaña, Olena Gruzieva, Regina Hampel, Bente Oftedal, Mette Sørensen, Kathrin Wolf, Geir Aamodt, Gunn Marit Aasvang, Inmaculada Aguilera, Thomas Becker, Rob Beelen, Bert Brunekreef, Barbara Caracciolo, Josef Cyrys, Roberto Elosua, Kirsten Thorup Eriksen, Maria Foraster, Laura Fratiglioni, Agneta Hilding, Danny Houthuijs, Michal Korek, Nino Künzli, Jaume Marrugat, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Claes-Göran Östenson, Johanna Penell, Göran Pershagen, Ole Raaschou-Nielsen, Wim Swart Jr, Annette Peters, Barbara Hoffmann, European Heart Journal, Oct. 24, 2016)<br />
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Also discussed here: <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161025084744.htm">World’s largest study shows effects of long-term exposure to air pollution and traffic noise on blood pressure </a>(ScienceDaily, Oct. 25, 2016) </div>
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Today we review research based on the effects of traffic –related air pollution and noise in five countries for 5-9 years. Results indicate that the risk of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertension" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Hypertension">high blood pressure</a> or hypertension increased by 20% for those who live in more polluted areas (for every increase of 5 µg/m3 of PM2.5) and by 6% for those living in areas with a higher level of noise. Air pollution was higher in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=52.5166666667,13.3833333333&spn=0.1,0.1&q=52.5166666667,13.3833333333%20(Germany)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Germany">Germany</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=40.4333333333,-3.7&spn=0.1,0.1&q=40.4333333333,-3.7%20(Spain)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Spain">Spain</a> than in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavia" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Scandinavia">Scandinavian countries</a> and the combination of air and noise pollution was higher in Spain and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=59.35,18.0666666667&spn=0.1,0.1&q=59.35,18.0666666667%20(Sweden)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="Sweden">Sweden</a>.</div>
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<b>Key Quotes:</b> </div>
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“Long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to a greater incidence of high blood pressure, according to the largest study to investigate the effects of both air pollution and traffic noise by following over 41,000 people in five different countries for five to nine years.” </div>
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“among adults, up to one extra person per 100 people of the same age group living in the most polluted areas of cities would develop high blood pressure (hypertension) compared to those living in the less polluted areas…similar to the effect of being overweight with a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Body mass index">body mass index (BMI)</a> between 25-30 compared to people with normal weight” </div>
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“for every five micrograms [2] per cubic metre (5 µg/m3) of PM2.5, the risk of hypertension increased by a fifth (22%) in people living in the most polluted areas compared to those in the least polluted areas” </div>
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“people living in noisy streets, where there were average night time noise levels of 50 decibels, had a six percent increased risk of developing hypertension compared to those living on quieter streets where average noise levels were 40 decibels during the night.” </div>
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“there were higher average levels of pollution in the central and southern European study areas -- Germany and Spain -- than in the Scandinavian areas -- Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Exposure to traffic noise and traffic load was highest in the study areas of Sweden and Spain.”</div>
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pugshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13807858686872047637noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502641085044754485.post-74585103402784549562016-12-08T09:03:00.003-05:002016-12-08T09:03:56.551-05:00How Can Transportation in the USA Become Carbon Free by 2050?<div class="Default">
<a href="http://www.environmentamericacenter.org/sites/environment/files/reports/Frontier%20Group%20-%2050%20Steps%20Carbon-Free%20Transpo%20-%202016_0.pdf%20">50 Steps Toward Carbon-Free Transportation - Rethinking U.S. Transportation Policy to Fight Global Warming </a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">(92 page pdf, Farontier Group, Oct. 24, 2016)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Also discussed here:</span> <a href="http://www.environmentamericacenter.org/reports/amc/50-steps-toward-carbon-free-transportation#.WA4cfkOXq8w.twitter">Report: Global Warming Solutions </a>(<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environment_America" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Environment America">Environment America</a> Research & Policy Center, Oct. 24, 2016)<br />
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Today we review a report that recommends 50 steps aimed at state and federal program and policies that could make the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=38.8833333333,-77.0166666667&spn=0.1,0.1&q=38.8833333333,-77.0166666667%20(United%20States)&t=h" rel="geolocation" target="_blank" title="United States">USA</a>’s transportation system carbon free by 2050. The steps include making carbon reduction strategies a key priority by exploiting the growth of electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles and the sharing of cars and bicycles, adding more effective public transit, employing smart pricing policies and phasing out carbon intensive vehicles and fuels.
<a href="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/co2-emissions-by-country.jpg"><img alt="co2-emissions-by-country" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15722" height="466" src="https://pollutionfree.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/co2-emissions-by-country.jpg" width="468" /></a>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Key Quotes:</b><br />
<br />
“Efficient electric vehicles that can be powered by clean, renewable electricity are entering the marketplace faster than the hybrid cars of a decade ago “<br />
<br />
“An explosion of technology-enabled services – from carsharing to bikesharing to Lyft and Uber – has begun to revolutionize transportation in many cities. “<br />
<br />
“<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_transport" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Public transport">Public transportation</a> reduces vehicle travel (and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Greenhouse gas">greenhouse gas emissions</a>) by about 10 percent in U.S. cities, and cities across the country are considering bold plans to expand access to high-quality transit.”<br />
<br />
“Cities around the world have shown that smart pricing policies can reduce congestion and encourage the use of low-carbon modes of travel.”<br />
<br />
“autonomous vehicles can be deployed in ways that can support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – especially if they facilitate the use of shared mobility services, vehicle electrification and smart pricing, and if public policy limits any increases in vehicle travel resulting from automation.”<br />
<br />
“Principles:
<br />
<ul>
<li>Climate concerns should inform every transportation policy decision…Only seven states have enforceable, economy-wide limits on carbon pollution, and, as of 2012, the vast majority of states and metropolitan planning organizations did not even consider greenhouse gas emissions in agency planning processes.</li>
<li>Low-carbon transportation should be at the front of the line for public funding … Between 1956 and 2014, 79 percent of all government capital expenditures on transportation went toward highways,</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>People should be rewarded for making low-carbon transportation choices….income tax exclusion for commuter parking subsidizes rush hour driving to the tune of more than $7 billion per year.</li>
<li>Carbon-intensive vehicles and fuels should be phased out…Federal policies have failed to tap the potential of lower-carbon fuels, with the federal Renewable Fuels Standard currently serving largely to encourage the use of corn ethanol</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_policy" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Public policy">Public policy</a> should encourage climate-friendly communities…some localities have begun to lift mandatory minimum parking requirements that add to the cost of new housing development and consume precious and limited urban space.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Public policy should foster innovation…Key state and federal policies hamper innovation by failing to account for changing circumstances such as the emergence of shared mobility services or growing demand for urban living, or by locking officials into spending or policy practices more attuned to the needs of a previous generation.”</li>
</ul>
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