Latest news with #pollution
Gizmodo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
This Air Purifier for Large Rooms Is Now 80% Off, Amazon Is Clearing Out Its Stock Before Summer
To lower pollution at home, an air purifier like this is a must. If you've ever asked yourself why it's a good thing to have an air purifier in the house, now is the time to make that upgrade a reality. Air purifiers offer a range of advantages to your home: they rid you of dust, pollen, pet dander, smoke, and even small allergens, delivering cleaner, healthier air to you and your family. With high-tech filtration, silent operation, and simple-to-use design, modern air purifiers like that currently available on Amazon make it simpler than ever to breathe easy at home. This particular deal is one hundred percent exceptional: The Ecoself air purifier now is available for as low as $69 which is a whopping 65% reduction from its usual price of $199. That's already a record-low price but if you use the $15 coupon that's available, the price drops even lower to a mere $54. With offers like these, there's never been a better time to spend money on a cleaner house. See at Amazon Wide And Efficient Coverage What we like best about this air purifier is its wide coverage and premium features. It is specially built for big rooms up to 1076 square feet and uses 360° airflow technology to speedily circulate and revitalize the air. In a normal 215 square foot room, it can clean the air five times an hour so you and your family members are always breathing fresh, healthy air. The advanced three-stage filtration system includes a premium H13 HEPA filter, which captures 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns. You will also love the whisper-quiet 20dB sleep mode. Even on the highest setting, the purifier is quiet enough that it won't interrupt your sleep so it's ideal for bedrooms or baby rooms. You can enjoy purified air all night, waking to a neater, more comfortable room. The new brushless motor and new filter not only enhance purification efficiency by 50% but also reduce noise and power consumption. What's more is that you can adjust fan speed, incorporate a timer, activate child lock, and choose one of seven ambient light colors depending on your mood or environment. The integrated filter indicator will alert you when you should replace the filter for maximum performance at all times. Don't miss this opportunity to make your home healthier. See at Amazon
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Multiple men face serious consequences after authorities uncover illegal destruction in protected area: 'It is a hazard to our nation and the region'
Eight people in eastern Ghana have been arrested for illegal mining, according to Joy Online. The mining had been polluting local water supplies, but miners had continued regardless. The local government's Eastern Regional Security Council confiscated 24 excavator batteries, 16 pumping machines, a chainsaw, three monitors, five control boards, three single-barrel guns, two pump-action rifles, cartridges, and cash in the police action. While the exact type of mining wasn't announced, Ghana is the sixth-largest gold producer in the world, per and another mining operation was recently shut down for illegally harvesting gold. Extractive industries have deep human and environmental tolls. Child labor has been employed in other African nations for mining, while tailing ponds have rendered rivers poisonous in others. Some mining operations have destroyed great ape habitat, adding more pressure on stressed populations. Regulations can help improve working and ecological conditions. South Africans, for example, are calling for improved regulations to lessen environmental impacts, per the Conversation. Artisanal mining is especially dangerous since it lacks safety protocols and government oversight, but properly regulating it may yield better working standards by documenting the chain of custody of minerals, the Atlantic Council revealed. Maintaining robust enforcement and strong laws against illegal mining can help preserve ecosystems and vital water supplies used by nearby communities. Gold mines in Australia and Idaho are just a few that have faced the legal limits of their operation. While arresting eight illegal miners is good news, there's more progress to be made. Ghana's president has already committed to banning mining in protected forests. Ghanaian authorities were resolute in continuing to crack down on ongoing illegal mining operations. "For the past days, we have been combing the Eastern region with our military and police to make sure the mandate by the president is obeyed," said regional minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, per Joy Online. "If you go around, our waters are so bad, the environment is destroyed, pits are uncovered, our forest is being destroyed. It is a hazard to our nation and the region, so for the few days our men have been on the ground and here you are with several excavators that have been seized from them." Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. 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.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Governor ignites public backlash after scrapping critical protections with no warning: 'It's really heartbreaking'
The Maryland governor shocked legislators and environmental action groups by vetoing a number of anti-pollution and environmental study bills. On May 16, Wes Moore rejected proposals to gather information about the impact of rising global temperatures on the economy, energy reliability, and more, Inside Climate News reported. Critics said it marked "a sharp departure from his climate promises." He cited "the state's current financial constraints," though one of the bills — the Responding to Emergency Needs from Extreme Weather Act of 2025 — was to cost just $500,000 from the $300 million-plus Strategic Energy Investment Fund, which is backed by utility companies that pay penalties "for failing to meet renewable energy targets," according to ICN. Moore also said the Energy Resource Adequacy and Planning Act, which was to cost between $4.4 million and $5.3 million, would raise consumers' energy rates, per ICN. But the bill was designed to help the state transition to clean energy sources by providing long-term assessment and planning strategies. The Data Center Impact Analysis and Report bill was another that got brushed off. It was to study "the environmental and economic footprint of data center expansion," ICN reported. Maryland lawmakers thought they were headed in the right direction with these legislative efforts, and many people were blindsided by the vetoes. The RENEW Act received particularly strong support, as it could clear the path to make fossil fuel companies pay for the pollution they create. "If the governor vetoes a bill to basically begin to study what the polluters owe us, then the only conclusion you can make is he wants taxpayers to pay billions of dollars for a mess that the oil companies knowingly created," Mike Tidwell, Chesapeake Climate Action Network director, told ICN. Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins called the RENEW legislation "monumental," while Kim Coble, executive director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, said: "This veto is extremely frustrating and simply does not support the state's climate goals." Climate action is not just about climate change and would reduce pollution, improve human health and environmental conditions, and rebalance ecosystems, weather, and other things that make the planet inhabitable for people, wildlife, and vegetation. What's more, every $1 spent now on resilience and preparedness saves $13 in future damages, cleanup costs, and economic impact. The Maryland General Assembly can override Moore's actions with a three-fifths vote in each of the House of Delegates and Senate. While the lawmakers are not in session, Moore can convene a special session, or a majority of elected members in the House and Senate can convene one via petition. "I think there's a strong possibility," Wilkins told ICN. "There's a lot of passion on both bills and a lot of interest … and they did both pass with veto-proof majorities." Should the government ban gas stoves? Yes Only in new buildings Only in restaurants No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. 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.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
NAACP calls on Memphis officials to halt operations at xAI's ‘dirty data center'
The NAACP is calling on local officials to halt operations at Colossus, the 'supercomputer' facility operated by Elon Musk's xAI in South Memphis. As reported in NBC News, leaders from the civil rights group sent a letter Thursday to the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light Gas and Water criticizing the organizations' 'lackadaisical approach to the operation of this dirty data center' and calling on them to 'issue an emergency order for xAI to stop operations completely' — or if there's no order, to at least cite and stop the company from allegedly violating clean air laws. The letter expressed particular concerns around the gas turbines that xAI runs to power Colossus. The company has applied for a permit to continue operating 15 gas turbines at the facility, although the NAACP said authorities have 'allowed xAI to operate at least 35 gas turbines without any permitting' over the past year. City officials have previously said xAI did not need permits for the turbines' first year of use. These turbines reportedly emit hazardous air pollutants, including formaldehyde, at levels exceeding EPA limits. The NAACP's letter also pointed to the turbines' nitrogen-oxide emissions. Noting that the Colossus facility is located near South Memphis' Boxtown neighborhood, which the letter described as a 'historically Black community,' the NAACP said the location perpetuates 'the trend of industries adding pollution to communities who do not cause the problem.' 'Instead of [the Shelby County Health Department] working to reduce health issues known in the area including that cancer risks are already four times the national average, it has allowed xAI to operate above the law,' the NAACP added. The NAACP's letter is addressed to Shelby County Health Department Director Michelle Taylor, as well as Memphis Light Gas and Water's commissioners; Taylor is leaving her role in Shelby County to become the commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department. TechCrunch has reached out to the NAACP and xAI for comment. A spokesperson for Memphis Light Gas and Water told NBC News that it had not yet received the NAACP letter.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
NAACP calls on Memphis officials to halt operations at xAI's ‘dirty data center'
The NAACP is calling on local officials to halt operations at Colossus, the 'supercomputer' facility operated by Elon Musk's xAI in South Memphis. As reported in NBC News, leaders from the civil rights group sent a letter Thursday to the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light Gas and Water criticizing the organizations' 'lackadaisical approach to the operation of this dirty data center' and calling on them to 'issue an emergency order for xAI to stop operations completely' — or if there's no order, to at least cite and stop the company from allegedly violating clean air laws. The letter expressed particular concerns around the gas turbines that xAI runs to power Colossus. The company has applied for a permit to continue operating 15 gas turbines at the facility, although the NAACP said authorities have 'allowed xAI to operate at least 35 gas turbines without any permitting' over the past year. City officials have previously said xAI did not need permits for the turbines' first year of use. These turbines reportedly emit hazardous air pollutants, including formaldehyde, at levels exceeding EPA limits. The NAACP's letter also pointed to the turbines' nitrogen-oxide emissions. Noting that the Colossus facility is located near South Memphis' Boxtown neighborhood, which the letter described as a 'historically Black community,' the NAACP said the location perpetuates 'the trend of industries adding pollution to communities who do not cause the problem.' 'Instead of [the Shelby County Health Department] working to reduce health issues known in the area including that cancer risks are already four times the national average, it has allowed xAI to operate above the law,' the NAACP added. The NAACP's letter is addressed to Shelby County Health Department Director Michelle Taylor, as well as Memphis Light Gas and Water's commissioners; Taylor is leaving her role in Shelby County to become the commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department. TechCrunch has reached out to the NAACP and xAI for comment. A spokesperson for Memphis Light Gas and Water told NBC News that it had not yet received the NAACP letter. Sign in to access your portfolio
