air pollution news from mongabay.com

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).