Matthew E. Kahn, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
China has the world’s second-largest economy, powered by cheap labor and cheap fossil fuel. But now Chinese urbanites want greener, healthier lifestyles. Can the government deliver them?
Inexpensive cloth face masks, worn by many people in heavily polluted countries, offer only partial protection. Instead governments should warn people to avoid exposure and work to clear the air.
Data from London’s Great Smog of 1952 show that air pollution exposure in early life leads to striking increases in asthma rates. Millions in the developing world face similar risks today.
Africa has largely been ignored when it comes to official global air quality programmes. Yet low-income countries like many of those in Africa are particularly affected by air pollution.
U.S. states need to put in place new ozone air quality standards, but how they are measured – based on peak ozone – doesn’t always best reflect a city’s overall air quality.
Paulina Segarra, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey et Ajnesh Prasad, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
Mexico City is suffering through an air quality crisis this spring, but institutional corruption is making the proposed solution – restricting car usage – ineffective.
Parents in three Australian states are being given misleading advice about the dangers of lead to babies and small children – including failing to warn pregnant women about miscarriage risks.
From New Year’s Eve, to Guy Fawkes night, to Diwali, fireworks are an exciting way to celebrate. But these dazzling displays come at a serious cost to the environment.
Professor & Chair in Air Quality and Health; Founding Director, Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), Co-Director, Institute for Sustainability, University of Surrey, University of Surrey