Global Scans · Pollution · Weekly Summary

• [New] The proteins extracted by the NTU researchers were found to be rich in antioxidants, which could not only protect human skin from pollutants but could also extend the shelf life of cosmetics like body lotions and moisturizers. phys.org
• [New] The carbon pricing applied to big industrial polluters will cut between 53 million and 90 million tonnes by 2030, while the pricing on consumers will cut between 19 million and 22 million tonnes. CBC
• [New] In Greenland, chemical pollution and radioactive liquid are frozen in ice sheets, left over from a nuclear power plant on a US military research base where scientists studied the potential to install nuclear missiles. Wired
• More than 90% of the world's marine food supplies are at risk from environmental changes such as rising temperatures and pollution, essential to over 3.2 billion people. PubMed Central (PMC)
• As long as global emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases fail to decline and the world continues to tackle aerosol pollution, the world will likely warm faster than experienced in the past. Carbon Brief
• White men in the US see threats from climate change to automobile accidents to air pollution as less risky than white women and women of colour. The Equation
• Biodiversity is under many anthropogenic threats globally, including habitat degradation, habitat loss, biological invasions, overexploitation, pollution, and climate change 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Nature
• The overall combination of reductions in particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants are expected to deliver $13 billion in annual health benefits. The Equation
• The recent UNEP, International Energy Agency, and Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants joint report on the imperative of cutting methane from fossil fuels states that 70% of methane emissions from fossil fuel operations could be reduced with existing technology. IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin
• The global crackdown on methane emissions will get a boost from a watchdog satellite built to track and publicly reveal the biggest methane polluters in the oil and gas industry. The Washington Post
• As noise is the second cause of premature deaths after air pollution, the Commission set a specific target of reducing the number of people chronically disturbed by transport noise by 30% by 2030 (compared to 2017). Representation in Malta
• The EPA rule applies to cars with the model years 2027 to 2032, and will require manufacturers to significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, as well as other air pollution such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter from new passenger cars, light trucks and utes. ABC News
• Nearly one-third of the world's amphibians are threatened, with 200 species already extinct and hundreds more teetering on the brink of extinction due to habitat degradation, pollution, and climate change. Nature Connect
• More effective management of nitrogen fertilizers could reduce emissions of a harmful air pollutant from the cultivation of three staple crops by up to 38%. Mongabay Environmental News
• The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an important Report into pro-oxidant masterbatches which in its own words could significantly reduce the persistence of plastic pollution without creating undesired by-products. Bioplastics News
• Compared to other countries in Africa, Egypt has a steeper increase in the number of hot days; and with air pollution, pesticides, water pollutants and projected water scarcity, older Egyptians are particularly vulnerable to the potential health impacts of climate change. Nature Middle East
• Trump has promised to roll back new car pollution rules at the Environmental Protection Agency that could require electric vehicles to account for up to two-thirds of new cars sold in the US by 2032. CNN
• Nitrogen pollution is predicted to cause severe water scarcity in one-third of the world's river sub-basins by 2050, a new research has found. Prensa Latina
• The transport industry could see more hydrogen developments to reduce fuel consumption and carbon pollution over the next decade as the road to low and zero-emission heavy vehicles remains a long one. Canberra CityNews
• Lawmakers reached a deal to further curtail air pollution across the EU and align air quality standards with the World Health Organization in a bid to reach zero pollution by 2050, during inter-institutional negotiations in Brussels. Euronews.com
• As many as 153 million premature deaths linked to air pollution could be avoided worldwide this century if governments speed up their timetable for reducing fossil fuel emissions, a new Duke University-led study finds. ScienceDaily
• Air pollution is now the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK, with children being particularly vulnerable. RCPCH
• The focus on plastic regulation is expected to continue in 2024, with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issuing its draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution this year. JD Supra

Last updated: 15 April 2024