US east coast blanketed in eerie veil of smoke from Canada fires
New York, USReuters Schools across the US east coast cancelled outdoor activities, commercial airline traffic was slowed and millions of Americans were urged to stay indoors on Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, blanketing cities in a thick yellowish haze. The US National Weather Service issued air quality alerts for virtually the entire […]
Lahore is most polluted city, Chad worst among countries – survey
New Delhi, IndiaReuters Lahore in Pakistan jumped more than 10 places to become the city with the worst air in the world in 2022, according to an annual global survey by a Swiss maker of air purifiers. The report published on Tuesday by IQAir also said that Chad in central Africa had replaced Bangladesh as […]
Toxic smog: Iran criticised for winter “air pollution catastrophe”
Environmental analysts say air pollution is worsening in Iran and that the government is not doing enough to tackle the problem. SANAM MAHOOZI, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports…
Essay: Seventy years on from London’s Great Smog, we still need cleaner air to protect health
On the 70th anniversary of London’s Grewat Smog, SUZANNE BARTINGTON and WILLIAM BLOSS, of the University of Birmingham, say more work still needs to be done to improve air quality in the UK…
“Every breath you take”: Air pollution stifles Europe’s health targets
Reuters Air quality in Europe is improving but still poses high risks, the European Environment Agency said on Thursday, as fine particles exposure led to at least 238,000 premature deaths in the 27-nation EU in 2020. “Air pollution is still the largest environmental health risk in Europe,” the EEA said. “While emissions of key air […]
“A common goal”: How St Louis churches are revealing the disparities in the air we breathe
BRITNY CORDERA, of Religion News Service, reports on how congregations in St Louis are working with local scientists to monitor the air quality in communities affected by industrial pollution…
No country met WHO air quality standards in 2021 – data
Shanghai, ChinaReuters Not a single country managed to meet the World Health Organization’s air quality standard in 2021, a survey of pollution data in 6,475 cities showed on Tuesday, and smog even rebounded in some regions after a COVID-related dip. The WHO recommends that average annual readings of small and hazardous airborne particles known as […]
Air quality improved slightly in 2020 during lockdowns, UN agency says
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Key air pollutants temporarily plunged by unprecedented levels during coronavirus lockdowns last year, with fine particle pollution falling by more than a third across parts of Asia, a UN agency said on Friday. Particulate matter (PM 2.5) fell by up to 40 per cent across Africa, South America and Southern Asia and by […]
Beijing skies turn yellow as sand, dust engulf Chinese capital
Beijing, ChinaReuters The skies above Beijing turned yellow and air pollution soared to severe levels as a giant cloud of sand and dust particles rolled into the city, propelled by strong winds from the north of China. Beijing’s air quality index rose to 324 as of 4pm local time on Thursday, mainly due to larger […]
Air pollution: Nepal chokes on smoke and ash as drought-worsened wildfires rage
AADESH SUBEDI, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports from Nepal on how air pollution caused by fires is creating hardships…