Pollution

US to hold surprise plant inspections targeting pollution in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley | Biden administration

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled plans to conduct unannounced inspections of plants suspected of air pollution violations in the heavily industrialized region in Louisiana known as Cancer Alley and other locations around the US south. The move, announced on Wednesday morning alongside other significant new enforcement and monitoring actions, is aimed at reining … Read more

Shell’s ‘Carbon Capture’ Plant Emitting As Much Pollution As 1.2 Million Cars Each Year

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Shell's 'Carbon Capture' Plant Emitting As Much Pollution As 1.2 Million Cars Each Year

Massive oil companies will do anything to look like they are cutting emissions, as long as they aren’t actually cutting emissions and they can get taxpayers to pay for the efforts. Enter Royal Dutch Shell’s Quest Carbon Capture facility in Alberta, Canada, which has captured 5 million tonnes of carbon since it started operation in … Read more

Tax on parking: UK cities to impose levy on cars in bid to cut pollution | Environment

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Councils across the UK are using radical strategies to cut the number of polluting vehicles on their streets in response to the climate emergency. Leicester city council hopes a new charge on workplace parking will improve air quality, fund public transport and encourage walking and cycling. The power to raise a “workplace parking levy” (WPL) … Read more

The Guardian’s view on water pollution: clean up the waste water | Editorial

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Eenglish water companies have become accustomed to pumping raw sewage into the sea and rivers. An investigation launched last year by the regulator, Ofwat, and the Environment Agency, is an opportunity to raise the bar. But there are worrying signs that this opportunity to shed light may be missed. The Environment Agency’s refusal to reveal … Read more

Nanoplastic pollution discovered at both poles of the Earth for the first time | Plastics

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Nanoplastic pollution has been detected in the polar regions for the first time, indicating that tiny particles are now ubiquitous around the world. Nanoparticles are smaller and more toxic than microplastics, which have previously been found around the world, but the impact of both on people’s health is unknown. Analysis of a core from the … Read more

Global plastic pollution is a ‘death clock’: report

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Global plastic pollution is a 'death clock': report

“There is a deadly clock rapidly counting down.” So says Tom Gammage, an oceans campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a UK-based group whose new report warns that only a tough global treaty can turn the tide against the deadly crisis of plastic pollution. Posted on Tuesday, Connecting the Dots: Plastic Pollution and the … Read more

Lockdown has led to pollution shifts between and even within cities

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Lockdown has led to pollution shifts between and even within cities

2) near Atlanta. Green circle represents downtown Atlanta, red diamonds represent coal-fired power plants with capacities > 2000 MW. Blue "X" stands for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Black lines indicate major highways. Satellite estimates of air pollution allow us to observe spatial distribution in a way that ground-based monitoring cannot. The figure shows the concentrations of … Read more

Plastic pollution is ‘a planetary emergency’, report warns

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The predicted increase in plastic pollution flowing into the environment is a global emergency, the report warns. Pictured is plastic pollution on Kuta Beach, Bali. Notice McDonald's famous golden arches in the background

The global threat of plastic pollution poses a “planetary emergency” equivalent to climate change and biodiversity loss, warns a new report. The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has urged nations around the world to agree to a UN treaty to commit to legally binding targets to tackle plastic waste. Plastic pollution directly harms our health, leads … Read more

Reduce carbon pollution and toxins, make cement clean and green

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Reduce carbon pollution and toxins, make cement clean and green

By Veena Singla & Sasha Stashwick The decarbonization of cement factories is an essential element to achieve our climate objectives. Cement is a key ingredient in concrete, which is the most widely used synthetic material on the planet, and has few to no viable alternatives. Cement is incredibly dirty to produce: while it makes up … Read more

Ozone pollution costs Asia billions in lost crops: study

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Ozone pollution costs Asia billions in lost crops: study

Ground-level ozone drastically reduces yields of rice, wheat and corn in parts of Asia, a new study has found. Persistently high levels of ozone pollution in Asia are costing China, Japan and South Korea an estimated $63 billion a year in lost rice, wheat and corn, a new study has found. While ozone forms a … Read more