Latest news with #StateofGlobalAir
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists issue dire warning over 'unstable' airborne threat impacting human health: 'The concerns are quite legion'
The stratospheric ozone layer exists 10 to 25 miles above the Earth's surface and protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation, but down here in the troposphere, ozone buildup can impact human health, food security, and biodiversity. Ground-level ozone isn't a direct emission. It's created when various precursor pollutants, such as methane, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds react together in sunlight, according to a Mongabay report. "The problem with ozone is it's an incredibly active molecule and somewhat unstable in the environment. It interacts with everything it touches," Nathan Borgford-Parnell of the Climate & Clean Air Coalition said in an interview with the outlet. Borgford-Parnell added that "the concerns are quite legion" given the range of planetary impacts. Mongabay noted that the rise in global temperatures and subsequent heat waves are interacting with air pollution to create dangerous spikes in ground-level ozone, especially in the tropics. This places a growing portion of the population in a health danger zone, where it can lead to respiratory issues, premature deaths, and even impact cardiovascular and reproductive systems. According to the State of Global Air, long-term exposure to ground-level ozone contributed to an estimated 365,000 deaths globally, with 70% of these deaths occurring in India and China. High ozone levels can also damage plants, limiting their growth and reducing their ability to soak up carbon dioxide — which, in turn, effectively doubles the climate impact of this highly reactive gas, Borgford-Parnell told Mongabay. Ozone exposure has led to annual losses of nearly 160,000 tons of wheat, soybeans, corn, and rice, severely impacting global food security. "Overall, we have decreased photosynthesis, growth, biomass, and yield of the plants," Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology professor Evgenios Agathokleous told Mongabay, leading to what he called a "cascade of ecological implications." Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always Yes — often Yes — sometimes No — never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Efforts to combat the buildup of tropospheric ozone are primarily involved in reducing methane emissions and lowering pollution from vehicles and power plants. The Climate & Clean Air Coalition supports implementing methane control measures, and if adopted on a global scale, they could reduce methane emissions by up to 40%. Choosing electric vehicles over gas-guzzlers and public transportation wherever possible can further reduce the buildup of planet-warming pollutants that contribute to the problem. In addition, transitioning away from burning dirty fuels for energy and, instead, shifting to sources like wind and solar can have a major impact on reducing pollution and helping us reach our climate goals for a cleaner, healthier planet. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The Guardian
04-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Leading the charge: how a drive for electric vehicles is cleaning up Nepal
In a rundown hangar in the heart of Kathmandu, the remains of a dozen electric trolley buses stand abandoned and corroding. Caked in dust and bird-droppings and lined with rubbish, they are a reminder of a bold experiment, launched 50 years ago, to electrify the city's public transport system. Down the side of one is written, 'Keep me alive'. Today, that plea is being heard. More than 70% of four-wheeled passenger vehicles – largely cars and minibuses – imported into Nepal last year were electric, one of the highest rates in the world. The figure reflects a remarkable growth in the use of electric vehicles (EVs), which saw the country import more than 13,000 between July 2023 and 2024, up from about 250 in 2020-21. Nepal's government has set ambitious targets for wider take-up of EVs, with the aim that 90% of all private-vehicle sales and 60% of all four-wheeled public passenger vehicle sales will be electric by 2030. The increasing popularity of EVs has raised hopes that they may help to reduce the chronic air pollution that has plagued Kathmandu for years. Nepal's capital is regularly ranked among the world's most polluted cities, with pollution from fine particulate matter often 10 to 20 times the World Health Organization's guidelines. Air pollution in Nepal is having a devastating effect on its population, accounting for nearly 19% of all deaths in 2021, according to analysis by the State of Global Air. If Nepal could reduce particulate pollution to the level recommended by the WHO, people living in Kathmandu could on average expect to live for 2.6 more years. The Kathmandu valley is cloaked for much of the year in thick smog from brick kilns, road and construction dust, burning rubbish and crops, and emissions from the 1.75m vehicles – 0f which around 80% are two-wheelers – that clog the city's streets. 'Our analysis shows that transport contributes to about one-fourth of the fine particle matter air pollution in the valley,' says David Sislen, the World Bank's country director for Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka. 'Motorists switching to EVs is an important part of getting towards cleaner skies and improved health.' The impact of the shift to EVs is even greater because almost all of Nepal's electricity is clean, as it is generated by hydropower, and readily available, after the persistent power cuts that afflicted the country for decades were brought to an end in 2018. The reasons for the popularity of EVs becomes clear at a showroom for the Chinese electric carmaker BYD, where Binaya Parajuli is about to pick up his new car. 'These days the best option is an EV. Petrol is expensive and the price fluctuates a lot. The price of electricity is stable and nowadays we have no shortage of it,' he says, before adding: 'And I'm also making a small contribution to the environment.' Parajuli says he is also attracted to the look of the car, reflecting a view that EVs are now a status symbol. 'These cars are luxurious, even if our roads are not,' he says, as he cuts a cake to celebrate his new purchase. Cost savings are the main reason for the rise in interest in electric cars, says the sales manager, Loozah Maharjan. 'Import taxes on EVs are lower than on petrol cars, running costs are a 10th of the price and banks offer generous finance deals for EVs,' he says. Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion And yet, the environmental and health benefits of the transition to EVs will remain limited until the most polluting vehicles – diesel buses and trucks – also become electric, says Bhushan Tuladhar, an environmental activist. 'There are three reasons this has not taken off,' he says. 'One, the initial cost of purchasing electric buses; second, the lack of charging infrastructure; and third, the public transport system is chaotic.' There are signs that this is changing. Tuladhar, in his role as a board member of Sajha Yatayat, a co-operative bus company, helped to import 40 electric buses from China, which now operate across the city. They run alongside hundreds of electric three-wheelers, which began to be introduced in the city in the 1990s. Hundreds more electric minibuses now also ply routes out of Kathmandu, particularly on the narrow, twisting road through the mountains to the southern plains, which larger buses struggle to negotiate. At a charging station on the edge of the Kathmandu valley, Krishna Prasad Chaulagain is charging his new minibus. 'I'm very excited,' he says. 'I don't have to go to the petrol pump any more.' Chaulagain estimates the price of charging his vehicle will be a 15th of the cost of petrol to cover the same distance. The time it takes to charge his minibus does not seem to bother him. 'It means I get some rest,' he says. Even if Nepal does manage to electrify its public transport system, Maheshwar Dhakal, head of the government's climate-change management division, warns that more needs to be done. 'The growth in EVs in Nepal is remarkable,' he says. 'But if we become carbon neutral tomorrow, it doesn't make sense at a global scale. The international community must follow our lead.'
