air solution

we have made the air so bad that it stinks and traps heat in the atmosphere causing global warming. This is a climate crisis.

When was the last time you had a breath of fresh air?

_ we ruined the sky so stop burning $#i+ and help nature

PM_2.5 are at unhealthy levels

fine particles in the air are measured as PM_2.5 and the fine particulate matter is at unhealthy levels.

why are you burning wood like a caveman?

"If we can't breathe the air then we die, if we can't grow food on it then we die, if we can't drink the water then we die."

How bad is your air?

Enter your ZIP Code to get local air quality index:

air quality index AQI is the EPA's index for reporting air quality.

levels of air pollution. 
the indices used to measure air quality are: 
ground level ozone, 
particulate matter (pm2.5 and pm10), 
carbon monoxide, 
sulphur dioxide and 
nitrogen dioxide.

ArcGIS interactive map

data, GIS, mapping and spatial analytics:   ArcGIS Living Atlas esri

air

end fireplaces

isn't it time to end the fireplace and do what we can to reduce smoke? Smoke is toxic air filled with particulates; particulate matter PM_2.5 and breathing this can kill people.

what is the danger of smoke? Besides irritating the respiratory tract and the eyes, pollutants in the haze can cause serious long-term health damage.

sources of particulates are any type of common combustion including power plants, car and truck exhaust, restaurant grilling and wood burning, BBQ open-air wood burning and fast food charbroiling, grocery store food production, grilling, wood burning, and of course residential wood burning. End the fireplace.

can we end the fireplace along with all residential wood burning? Using a fireplace for heating is ridiculous since we have central heating. One wildfire can impact the climate. Millions of fireplaces can impact the climate. There are 140 million houses for 329 million people in the U.S. as of 2020.

fireplaces are wildfires

a residential wood-burning fireplace is like a small wildfire.

exposure to smoke poses immediate and long-term health risks. Immediate effects of inhaling smoke include shortness of breath, an elevated pulse, chest pain, or inflammation in the eyes, nose and throat. This is caused by small particles in the smoke haze which can enter the bloodstream and other parts of the human body, causing possible DNA mutations and other health issues.

smoke gets in your eyes.

PM_2.5

fine particles in the air are measured as PM_2.5 and the fine particulate matter is at unhealthy levels.

fine particulate matter are so small that they can travel deeply into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs, causing short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat, and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath.

fine particulate matter is less than 2.5 microns in diameter, 1/30th the width of a human hair. It can lodge deeply into the lungs and pass through to the bloodstream, causing serious health affects such as respiratory illness, asthma, lung disease and heart disease.

long-term exposure to polluted air has increased the risks of heart and respiratory illness, including covid-19.

the current national standards limit annual concentrations of soot and other chemicals to 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air. Emissions on specific days are allowed to be as high as 35 per cubic meter, a standard set 14 years ago. These fine particles, which measure less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, or one-thirtieth the width of a human hair, can enter the lungs and bloodstream, causing inflammation that can lead to asthma, heart attacks and other illnesses. Soot comes from a variety of sources such as industrial operations, incinerators, car and truck exhaust, power plants, smokestacks and burning wood.

long-term exposure to polluted air has increased the risk to heart and respiratory illness, including covid-19.

PM_2.5 illustration:   ArcGIS Living Atlas esri

it's us, it's bad, and we can fix it

the relationship of long-term air pollution and COVID-19 indicate adverse health impacts that make people prone to the infection. Extended exposure to severely polluted air can cause chronic lung inflammation which could leave people more vulnerable to the coronavirus.

transportation and power

ghg comes primarily from burning fossil fuels for energy use and transportation. Exhaust emissions from transportation is leading cause of smog.

New data released by the EPA on Friday, Feb12 2021, show that while emissions from the power sector continue to fall it remains the nation's 2nd largest source of greenhouse gas pollution. The biggest source, transportation, has continued to climb.

combustion

sources of fine particulates are any type of common combustion including power plants, car and truck exhaust, restaurant grilling and wood burning, grocery store food production, grilling, wood burning, residential wood burning, BBQ open-air wood burning, and fast food charbroiling.

why are you burning wood like a caveman?

danger of smoke. besides irritating the respiratory tract and the eyes, pollutants in the haze can cause serious long-term damage to health.

humans need oxygen O₂ at nose level to live

humans need oxygen O₂ at nose level to live. Trees clean our air and trees capture carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and produce oxygen. We need to protect trees from deforestation and plant more trees.

in Malaysia, because of the farming technique of clear-cutting the haze reached 208 on the Air Pollutants Index (API) in several districts. The clear-cutting causes wildfires which causes more and more smoke, which poisons more and more air.

ghg

CO₂ levels at 400ppm

global levels of carbon dioxide CO₂ passed 400ppm, while 100ppm is considered an unhealthy amount of greenhouse gas (ghg).

air pollution can cause hypertension, diabetes and respiratory diseases, conditions that doctors are starting to link to higher mortality rates for covid-19.

deaths every year from outdoor air pollution: 4.2 million people worldwide.   Air pollution WHO

the immune system.   Air pollution and damages to immunity EPHA

air pollution can cause hypertension, diabetes and respiratory diseases, conditions that doctors are starting to link to higher mortality rates for covid-19. Air pollution exacerbates chronic lung and heart conditions.   Air pollution caused conditions: the risk of co-morbidities EPHA

we must ensure that air pollution standards protect the public's health. air pollution kills sciencemag.org

we can reduce air pollution by setting air quality standards, monitoring levels of air pollutants, and enforcing regulations. The goal is to reduce air pollution of fine particulates and noxious gases. The only way to get there is to immediately transition the global economy away from fossil fuels and into renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable farming practices.

burning coal, oil, ngas is damaging the atmosphere

yes, the world needs energy, and we can use clean energy like solar and wind energy, instead of coal, oil, and methane-producing natural gas (ngas). Pollution from burning coal to make electricity is damaging the atmosphere. Leaks from oil production and transportation are damaging the oceans and rivers which is destroying our drinking water. Combusting fuel in cars and trucks is producing tailpipe emissions that react with sunlight to form smog which is causing the atmosphere to warm.

global CO₂ >400ppm

global levels of carbon dioxide CO₂ passed 400ppm. Climate change is intensifying and the stability of the planet is at stake. Greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 80% by 2050.

parts per million by volume are the units of measure for the air quality standards for pollutants. 100ppm is considered an unhealthy amount of greenhouse gas (ghg). 350ppm is the safe upper limit. The earth's atmosphere hit 400ppm in March 2015, and 403ppm in 2017.

trees

trees help to clean the air we breathe. Trees eat carbon dioxide CO₂ and give oxygen O₂ We have to breathe or else we die, immediately.

charting CO₂ noaa.gov National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Global Climate Change climate.nasa.gov NASA - Vital Signs of the Planet

ghg CO₂ and CH₄

greenhouse gases ghg are noxious gases like carbon dioxide CO₂ and methane CH₄ that trap heat in the atmosphere. Heat in the atmosphere negatively affects the climate for human life. A 1°C rise in the temperature of the Earth is already causing storm surges, floods and wildfires.

carbon dioxide CO₂ and methane CH₄ are potent greenhouse gases that absorb the sun's heat, thus adversely warming the atmosphere.

methane is 30 times more potent than CO₂ and is a major contributor to climate change. Methane is the main component of natural gas ngas.

methane is the primary component of natural gas, a common fuel source. The oil and gas industry produce industrial emissions of methane pollution. Methane is currently allowed to leak into the air in the fracking process, and 25% gets leaked into the atmosphere during distribution.

WHO (World Health Organization) has been campaigning to decrease toxic pollution around the globe, educating the public on the dangers to health. Its guidelines for PM2.5 is no more than 10 micrograms per cubic meter. ug/m³ is a measurement of density.

air pollution