Tag: air pollution

Impact Lab > air pollution
City Planning, Environment, Green Friendly, Science & Technology News

LA and the World Economic Forum present blueprint for global UAM adoption

Drone view of downtown Los Angeles or LA skyline with skyscrapers and freeway traffic below.

Clean, safe and inclusive urban air mobility closer to becoming a reality with new partnership

The City of Los Angeles and the World Economic Forum have released a pioneering report that presents a roadmap for Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Principles of the Urban Sky advocates a principles-based policy-making framework for the rollout of UAM that protects the public interest to benefit the many rather than just the few.

UAM is an emerging mode of next generation aviation technology that is better suited for urban transport. With vertical takeoff and landing configurations, improvements in energy sources, and improved connectivity, it looks towards piloted or autonomous flights of people and the movement of goods in city centres, suburban and edge of town conurbations.

The report identifies seven principles critical for a scalable UAM policy framework. These include safety, sustainability, equity of access for disadvantaged communities, low-noise, multi-modal connectivity for seamless travel, local workforce development for new air and ground level jobs, and purpose-driven data sharing to respond to the needs of the market.

Continue reading… “LA and the World Economic Forum present blueprint for global UAM adoption”

Coronavirus, Electric Vehicles, Energy, Environment, Science & Technology News

The coronavirus is showing us how clean the air can be if electric cars were the norm

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With all the loss of lives and financial destruction that the coronavirus has brought us, it’s hard to look at silver linings from this crisis, but there’s one that’s becoming obvious: cleaner air.

It might not last for long, but it’s giving us a glimpse at what we could experience if the world was to rapidly transition to electric transportation.

With shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders all over the world, passenger car traffic has been way down and people have been burning way less petrol.

Continue reading… “The coronavirus is showing us how clean the air can be if electric cars were the norm”

Big Problems, Environment, Science & Technology News

S. Korea proposes rain project with China to clean Seoul air

 

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A man wearing a mask rides a bicycle along the Han river in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 6, 2019. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has proposed a joint project with China to use artificial rain to clean the air in Seoul, where an acute increase in pollution has caused alarm.

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Analysis, Big Problems, Health & Fitness

Air pollution cuts two years off global average lifespan, says study

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A woman wearing a mask walks along a street in smog-hit Beijing. Photograph: Andy Wong/AP

Air pollution cuts the average lifespan of people around the globe by almost two years, analysis shows, making it the single greatest threat to human health.

The research looked at the particulate pollution produced by the burning of fossil fuels by vehicles and industry. It found that in many parts of the worst-affected nations – India and China – lifespans were being shortened by six years.

The work combined research on the reduced lifespans caused by long-term exposure to particulates with very detailed pollution maps. The impact of toxic air is greater than that of cigarette smoking or HIV/Aids.

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Environment, government, Latest Trend, Mass Transit, Science & Technology News, Transportation

This country is the first in the world to offer free public transit

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“There’s no doubt that we not only cover the costs, but also come out with a surplus.”

Estonia made waves in 2014 for becoming the first country to offer digital citizenship and for using blockchain technology to transform civic life.

Now the country is improving the physical experience of being a citizen by offering free public transportation.

After providing free public transportation for five years in the capital city of Tallinn, the Estonian government is ready to expand the service to the entire country, according to Pop-Up City.

Once that happens, anyone who has a “green card” can ride buses, trains, and ferries whenever and wherever — without charge.

The announcement makes Estonia the first country in the world to offer the service.

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Big Problems, China, Environment

More than 95% of world’s population breathe dangerous air, major study finds

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Children walking to school wearing smog pollution masks in Britain. Residents in many developing countries are exposed to toxic air both outdoors and inside their homes.

More than 95% of the world’s population breathe unsafe air and the burden is falling hardest on the poorest communities, with the gap between the most polluted and least polluted countries rising rapidly, a comprehensive study of global air pollution has found.

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Analysis, Brain, Health & Fitness, New Discoveries, Science & Technology News

Exposure to environmental factor linked to huge rise in ADHD: Study

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Exposure to a component of air pollution increases the chances of children developing ADHD by five times.

A link between rising air pollution in urban areas and the rapid increase in diagnosis in ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) has been discovered in a new study.

 

 

Continue reading… “Exposure to environmental factor linked to huge rise in ADHD: Study”