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.
Reducing air pollution is one of the best investments for Australians’ health, the environment, the economy and social equity. But achieving cleaner air requires a new approach from government.
Wildfire smoke turned the sky over New York City an apocalyptic shade of orange on June 7, 2023.
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images
An analysis by scholars at the University of California, Davis showed that just a small number of cities in California actively consider racism when developing their plans.
Thick wildfire smoke blankets the landscape near Water Valley, Alta., in May 2023. Evidence linking wildfire smoke with adverse health effects has been accumulating for years.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
The notion that wildfire smoke is ‘natural,’ and therefore less harmful than other types of air pollution, is not supported by the evidence. Wildfire smoke has been linked to adverse health effects.
Air pollution is linked with many health problems.
Saurav022/ Shutterstock
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.
A flaming peatland fire in Alberta, Canada.
(Greg Verkaik)
Peatlands safely store hundreds to thousands of years’ worth of humanity’s toxic legacy but climate change and physical disturbances are putting these pollution vaults, and us, at risk.
A low-traffic neighbourhood in Waltham Forest, London.
Marcin Rogozinski / Alamy Stock Photo
The action by the Environment Protection Authority follows alarming results from testing of rainwater tanks and the blood and hair of residents living near to the mine.
We’ve blown past the safe and just limit for vital Earth systems, from climate change to the biosphere and the use of fertilisers and freshwater. For humans to thrive means living in safe limits
Wildfire smoke filled the air at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on June 27, 2023.
AP Photo/Kim Johnson
Fires in Canada have sent smoke across several US states, leaving cities including New York, Chicago and Denver with some of the worst air quality in the world – even far from the flames.
The James H. Miller coal power plant in Alabama emitted as much carbon dioxide in 2021 as 4.6 million cars.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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.
Children and elderly people are vulnerable to air pollution. Photo by Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP.
from www,gettyimages.com
Air pollution accounts for many deaths in Africa yearly. However, this may change if people learn to protect themselves and hold their leaders accountable.
Common household products such as cleaning agents can contain a wide range of harmful chemicals.
gawriloff/istock via Getty Images
Manufacturers don’t usually have to disclose what’s in products like shampoo and household cleaners, but a new study finds that these products can contain hazardous ingredients.
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
Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Air Quality & Health Research and Evaluation, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney; Senior Research Fellow, South West Sydney Clinical School, UNSW Sydney