Carbon budget for 1.5°C will run out in six years at current emissions levels – new research

For a two-in-three chance of staying within 1.5°C, the budget shrinks to one-and-a-half years.

Robin Lamboll, Research Fellow in Atmospheric Science, Imperial College London • conversation
Oct. 30, 2023 ~7 min

How air pollution is making life tougher for bugs

We’re making life tough for insects – and not just by swatting them away with a newspaper.

Robbie Girling, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Southern Queensland • conversation
Sept. 21, 2023 ~6 min


Desert dust storms carry human-made toxic pollutants, and the health risk extends indoors

Desert dust storms are increasingly picking up materials like sewage, herbicides and other human-made waste and transporting them on tiny particles that are easy to inhale.

Fatin Samara, Professor of Environmental Science, American University of Sharjah • conversation
Sept. 18, 2023 ~9 min

North America’s summer of wildfire smoke: 2023 was only the beginning

Thick smoke pouring in from Canada’s wildfires canceled baseball games and pushed air quality in major US cities to the worst in the world.

Peter S. Thorne, University of Iowa Distinguished Chair, Professor of Environmental Health, University of Iowa • conversation
Sept. 1, 2023 ~9 min

Wildfire, farming air pollution may be worst for your brain

Wildfires and agriculture and farming emissions may be the top sources of air pollution linked to increased risk of dementia, research finds.

Kim North Shine-U. Michigan • futurity
Aug. 17, 2023 ~9 min

AI can help forecast air quality, but freak events like 2023's summer of wildfire smoke require traditional methods too

Air quality forecasting is getting better, thanks in part to AI. That’s good, given the health impact of air pollution. An environmental engineer explains how systems warn of incoming smog or smoke.

Joshua S. Fu, Chancellor's Professor in Engineering, Climate Change and Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee • conversation
Aug. 9, 2023 ~6 min

Are low-traffic neighbourhoods greenwashing? Here's what the evidence says

LTNs were introduced to UK cities to create a more pleasant environment for pedestrians and cyclists - but they’ve become controversial.

Harrie Larrington-Spencer, Research Fellow in the Active Travel Academy, University of Westminster • conversation
June 23, 2023 ~7 min

To see how smoke affects endangered orangutans, we studied their voices during and after massive Indonesian wildfires

Orangutans are vocal animals, so analyzing their calls during events like wildfires can indicate how smoke is affecting their health.

Wendy M. Erb, Postdoctoral Associate in Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell University • conversation
June 22, 2023 ~10 min


Wildfire smoke and dirty air are also climate change problems: Solutions for a world on fire

So much pollution goes into the air today that even without wildfire smoke, 99% of the global population breathes unhealthy air.

Drew Shindell, Professor of Climate Sciences, Duke University • conversation
June 14, 2023 ~8 min

Biden's strategy for cutting carbon emissions from electricity generation could extend the lives of fossil fuel power plants

After the Supreme Court overturned the Obama administration’s strategy for reducing power plant carbon emissions in 2022, the Biden administration is taking a narrower but still ambitious approach.

Jennifer K. Rushlow, Dean, Vermont School for the Environment, and Professor of Law, Vermont Law & Graduate School • conversation
May 12, 2023 ~9 min

/

13