air pollution news from mongabay.com

Direct air capture of CO2 to fight global warming is too expensive to be feasible

2011-12-09T22:55:00Z

Using existing technology to 'scrub' carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere is far costlier than capturing emissions directly from the smokestacks of coal-burning power plants, reports a paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Plantation fires in Indonesia trigger haze-related health warnings in Malaysia

2011-07-13T17:35:00Z

Smoke from plantation fires in Indonesian Borneo and Sumatra are casting a pall over cities in Malaysia, triggering health warnings from officials, reports The Straits Times.

EPA steps up greenhouse gas restrictions for nation's biggest polluters

2010-12-28T23:22:00Z

The US Environmental Protection Agency recently issued its plan for establishing greenhouse gas emission restrictions for the nation's biggest polluters under the Clean Air Act. The restrictions are scheduled to take effect in 2012.

Oil palm plantation fires driving air pollution in Singapore

2010-10-24T16:35:00Z

Oil palm plantation fires in Sumatra are contributing to air pollution in Singapore, according to Indonesia's forestry minister.

Profit of biggest companies would be cut by a third if forced to pay for environmental damage from operations

2010-02-19T19:08:00Z

Profits of the world's 3,000 largest companies would be cut by $2.2 trillion per year if they were forced to pay for environmental damage from their operations, according to an upcoming U.N. report detailed by The Guardian. The study, conducted by Trucost, a consultancy, and scheduled to be released this summer, estimates that pollution and degradation of natural resources by the world's 3,000 largest companies amount to six to seven percent of total revenue, or roughly one-third of profits.

China is polluted: first national survey paints disturbing picture

2010-02-09T21:46:00Z

The first ever national survey of pollution in China shows a nation that has paid for its economic growth in environmental pollution.

Air pollution in China reduces rainfall

2009-08-31T23:47:00Z

Air pollution in eastern China over the past half century has reduced rainfall and exacerbated the risk of drought and crop failures, reports a study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

Incinerators in China put health of Americans at risk

2009-08-12T03:21:00Z

Toxic pollutants from China's trash incinerators are spreading far and wide, putting the health of Chinese citizens in China and Americans in the United States at risk, reports the New York Times.

Air quality worsens in Malaysia due to forest fires

2009-08-10T23:37:00Z

Air quality in Malaysian Borneo is worsening as large numbers of fires rage near the Sarawak-Brunei border, reports the Star newspaper.

Burning by Asia Pulp & Paper contributes to haze in Indonesia, Malaysia

2009-07-28T21:54:00Z

One quarter of fire hotspots recorded in the Indonesia province of Riau on the island of Sumatra in 2009 have occurred in concessions affiliated with Sinar Mas Group's Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), according to new analysis by Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of environmental groups. The fires are contributing to the "haze" that is affecting air quality and causing health problems in Malaysia.

Cellulosic ethanol healthier, better for the environment, than corn ethanol

2009-02-03T00:13:00Z

Ethanol produced from switchgrass, prairie biomass, and Miscanthus will reduce the environmental and health impacts of expanded biofuels production relative to using corn as a feedstock, report researchers writing in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

China successfully cut pollution during Olympics finds NASA

2008-12-18T23:12:00Z

China's efforts to clean up Beijing's skies during the Olympics seemed to have worked, reports NASA.

China struggles with urban pollution

2007-10-29T14:30:39Z

About 60 percent of Chinese cities still regularly suffer from air pollution and have no centralized sewage treatment facilities, according to a report by China's environment watchdog, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).

U.S. firms driving pollution in China

2007-08-22T14:30:39Z

U.S. firms are helping drive environmental degradation in China, putting the health of millions of Chinese at risk, reports The Wall Street Journal. The paper says that by demanding ever lower products for goods, manufacturers are forced to reduced environmental safeguards in order to compete.

China to miss pollution goals for 2007

2007-08-22T14:30:39Z

China has managed to cut emissions of sulphur dioxide, an acid-rain causing pollutant, during the first half of 2007 but is likely to miss reduction targets for the year, reports the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).