Tag Archives: smog

Household Products Are Now a Major Source of Outdoor Air Pollution in Urban Areas

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By Roberta Attanasio, IEAM Blog Editor

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Credit: , CC BY-ND 2.0

Air pollution is by the World Health Organization as the “the world’s largest single environmental health risk” and causes of premature deaths annually. is associated with respiratory diseases (including asthma and changes in lung function), cardiovascular diseases, adverse pregnancy outcomes (such as preterm birth), and even death. , the World Health Organization concluded that outdoor air pollution is carcinogen to humans. In other words, air pollution is an —may not always be visible, but it can be deadly. Continue reading →

Market-Based Environmental Policies: Providing Incentives That Minimize Costs

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A guest post by Garth Heutel

Many advocates of environmental policy see the Trump administration’s view of the environment and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a setback that dims the prospects for new and stronger environmental laws. Consequently, some state and local governments are picking up the slack. For example, California recently for greenhouse gases, and the mayor of Atlanta to lower carbon dioxide emissions, despite the President’s decision to from the Paris climate accord. In this current complex landscape, economic theory can contribute valuable insight when designing climate and environmental policies at the federal, state, or local level. In particular, economic theory suggests that market-based environmental policies may provide clear advantages when compared to command-and-control policies. Let me explain why.

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Illustration credit: , .

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Let’s Look at Past Successes to Encourage the Vision of a Brighter Environmental Future

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A guest post by Brock B. Bernstein

Pervasive doom and gloom dominates much of the popular news about the environment. Global warming, sea level rise, ocean acidification, drought, wildfires, overfishing, or overpopulation—it all contributes to a feeling of despair and hopelessness, particularly among young people. This struck home for me on a personal level during a recent conversation with my college-aged son and a few of his friends—they felt they were “totally screwed” because of the inevitable impacts of climate change.

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Clean Power Plan, New Ozone Standard, and Asthma

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By Roberta Attanasio, IEAM Blog Editor

Out with the old: Syncrude facility. Credit: ,

On August 3, 2015, the Obama administration announced the finalized US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “.” The plan has been developed under the and aims to slash carbon emissions from US power plants, which account for one-third of all carbon emissions in the country, by giving each state an individual goal for cutting these emissions. The EPA estimates that the new national standards will significantly decrease carbon pollution produced by the electric sector by 2030; carbon emissions will be 32% lower than the 2005 levels. For a step-by-step guide on how the Clean Power Plan works, . Continue reading →

Unexplored Links: Climate Change and Environmental Contaminants

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By Roberta Attanasio, IEAM Blog Editor

Rapid surface ice melt in Greenland (July 2012). Credit: ,

Climate change is here and now, and the rate of change is also speeding up, as demonstrated by a . The most dramatic effects are clearly visible all around us—shifting precipitation patterns, sea level rise, ocean acidification, shrinking Arctic sea ice, melting of the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets, and amplified occurrence of wildfires, floods, heat waves, and droughts. Climate change is also a “”—the environmental fallout it causes can exacerbate political instability in the world’s most dangerous regions and increase the chances of armed conflict. In addition to these conspicuously damaging effects, there are some others that are causing alarm, although not discussed as often and not as clearly discernible at this time: climate change may alter the release, dispersal, and toxic effect of chemicals in the environment, potentially resulting in dangerous levels of human exposure and deleterious consequences for ecosystems. Continue reading →