Geo-Engineering Cities Using White Roofs and Pavements

The long-term effect of increasing the albedo of urban areas (11 page pdf, Hashem Akbari, H Damon Matthews, Donny Seto, Environmental Research Letters, Apr. 12, 2012) Also discussed here: Resurfacing Urban Areas to Offset 150 Billion Tons of CO2 (ScienceDaily, Apr. 13, 2012) Today, we review a look at changing the albedo of urban areas [...]

Harvard Six Cities Study Update on Mortality from Exposure to Fine Particles

Chronic Exposure to Fine Particles and Mortality: An Extended Follow-Up of the Harvard Six Cities Study from 1974 to 2009 (31 page pdf, Johanna Lepeule, Francine Laden, Douglas Dockery, Joel Schwartz, Environ Health Perspect,  Mar. 28, 2012) The research article of interest today is an update of the famous 1993 Six Cities Study (in the [...]

Diesel Trucks, Oil-Heated Homes and Childhood Asthma

Domestic airborne black carbon and exhaled nitric oxide in children in NYC (Abstract, Alexandra G Cornell, Steven N Chillrud, Robert B Mellins, Luis M Acosta, Rachel L Miller, James W Quinn, Beizhan Yan, Adnan Divjan, Omar E Olmedo, Sara Lopez-Pintado, Patrick L Kinney, Frederica P Perera, Judith S Jacobson, Inge F Goldstein, Andrew G Rundle, [...]

Secondary Organic Aerosols from Gasoline Powered Vehicles

Gasoline emissions dominate over diesel in formation of secondary organic aerosol mass (Roya Bahreini, Ann M. Middlebrook, Joost A de Gouw, Carsten Warneke, Michael K. Trainer, Charles A. Brock, Harald Stark, Steven S. S Brown, William P. P Dube, Jessica B. Gilman, katharine Hall, John S. S. Holloway, William C. Kuster, Anne E. Perring, Andre [...]

Assessing Air Quality near Major Roads in Ontario, Canada

Environmental Guide for Assessing and Mitigating the Air Quality Impacts and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Provincial Transportation Projects (78 page pdf, Environmental Policy Office, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Jan. 2012) Also discussed here: Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Impacts of Transportation (Dianne Saxe, Envirolaw, Mar. 1, 2012) Although it is considered still a “draft”, the [...]

A Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gases for Canada’s Capital

An Energy & Emissions Plan for Canada’s Capital Region (78 page pdf, City of Ottawa, City of Gatineau, National Capital Commission, Lead Consultant, HB Lanarc Consultants Ltd., Feb. 2012) Also discussed here: Presentation to Environment Committee on Choosing Our Future and “An Energy & Emissions Plan for Canada’s Capital Region”  (Bill Pugsley, Feb. 21, 2012) [...]

Car Addiction and Climate Change Mitigation

The implications of climate change for the future of the car (64 page pdf, Dr. Mayer Hillman, World Transport Policy and Practice, pages 18-29, Jan. 2012) Today, we review a thoughtful article and the need to stabilize climate change by reducing carbon fuel use, in the context of a global look at the future for [...]

Vehicle Emissions at Modern Roundabouts and Signalized Intersections

Quantitatively Determining the Emissions Reduction Benefits of the Replacement of a Signalized Intersection by a Roundabout  (16 page pdf, Maxine Hesch, Academy of the Holy Names, New York State Dept of Transportation, March 2007) Also discussed here: Impact of Modern Roundabouts on Vehicular Emissions  (10 page pdf, Srinivas Mandavilli,  Eugene R. Russell, Margaret J. Rys, [...]

Reducing Emissions from Wood Burning Stoves

Wood-burning stoves – harmful or safe? (Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Jan. 16, 2012) Also discussed here: Wood-Burning Stoves: Harmful or Safe? (Science Daily, Jan. 16, 2012) And here: Guidebook Effective and environmentally friendly firing of firewood  ( 8 page pdf, Edvard Karlsvik, SINTEF Energy Research, Norway and Heikki Oravainen, VTT, Finland, EU-project Quality Wood,  [...]

Speed Kills, But So Do Speed Bumps

Urban Traffic Calming and Health: A Literature Review ( 152 page pdf, Olivier Bellefleur & François Gagnon, National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy, Institut national de santé publique du Québec,  Nov. 2011) Today, the focus is on a report that reviews the literature on health aspects of traffic calming. Among several surprising points is [...]

Health Impacts from Exposure to Emissions from Traffic

Health Update – Association Between Exposure to Traffic and Heart Disease (6 page pdf, Air Resources Board, California Environmental Protection Agency, Feb. 24, 2005) Today we review a briefing to the California Air Resources Board on the health risks faced by those who travel on or live near freeways. Results “provide evidence for an association [...]

Estimating Health Impacts on Major Streets Using Oxidative Potential of Particulates

Contrasts in Oxidative Potential and Other PM Characteristics Collected Near Major Streets and Background Locations (32 page pdf, Hanna Boogaard, Nicole A.H. Janssen, Paul H. Fischer, Gerard P.A. Kos, Ernie P. Weijers, Flemming R. Cassee, Saskia C. van der Zee, Jeroen J. de Hartog, Bert Brunekreef, Gerard Hoek, Environ Health Perspect, Oct. 20, 2011) Today’s [...]

Population Exposure to Vehicle Emissions

Honing the Methods: Assessing Population Exposures to Motor Vehicle Exhaust  (28 page pdf, Chris Van Atten,Michael Brauer,Tami Funk,  Nicolas L. Gilbert,Lisa Graham,Debra Kaden,Paul J. Miller,Leonora Rojas Bracho,Amanda Wheeler,and Ronald H. White,  Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Nov, 2004) Today’s article under review is the result of a major international workshop convened in Montreal Canada in 2003 [...]

Air Pollution Exposure and the Health of Neighbourhoods in Ottawa, Canada

Air Pollution and Health: Toward Improving the Spatial Definition of Exposure, Susceptibility and Risk  (Marie-Pierre Parenteau, PhD Thesis, Dept of Geography, University of Ottawa, 2011) The focus today is an assessment of whether “where one lives impacts one’s health“ holds true at the “inter-urban” scale for 90 neighbourhoods (defined using a number of social indicators)  [...]

Roundabouts as a Strategy to Improve Air Quality

Modern Roundabouts, Global Warming, and Emissions Reductions: Status of Research, And Opportunities for North America  (16 page pdf, Tony Redington, Canadian Transportation Research Forum,  May 2001) The focus today is on how roundabouts can and are being used as a tool to reduce vehicle emissions at intersections compared to the use of traffic lights. The [...]

NOx Emission Ceiling and Local Air Quality in the UK

Multi-Pollutant Measures Database – Final Interim Report: Meeting the NOx National Emission Ceiling for 2010 (100 page pdf, Entec UK Limited, DEFRA, June 2008) Putting a ceiling on nitrogen oxides is part of a broader plan by DEFRA in the United Kingdom which has the highest NOx levels in Europe. An interim report on the [...]

Is Urban Intensification the Best Way to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

Dense downtown living more carbon intense due to higher consumption: a case study of Helsinki (10 page pdf, Jukka Heinonen, Riikka Kyr¨o and Seppo Junnila, Environ. Res. Lett., Sep. 26, 2011) Today’s review article (partly) turns on its head the assumption by urban planners that intensification of the urban population is a worthy objective from [...]

Vehicle Emissions in Some Irish Cities

Air Quality in Ireland 2010 Key Indicators of Ambient Air Quality (61 page pdf, Environmental Protection Agency, Irleand, Sep. 2011) Today we review a report from the Environmental Protection Agency of Ireland which notes concern about NO2 and particulate emissions from  vehicle emissions and the burning of coal to heat homes. While the latter is [...]

Reaching Climate Stabilization by Reducing Non-CO2 emissions

Non-CO2 greenhouse gases and climate change (Abstract, S. A. Montzka, E. J. Dlugokencky & J. H. Butler, Nature 476, 43–50, Aug.4, 2011) Stabilizing climate change  requires reducing emissions from carbon fuels alone by almost 100%.  It is clear that even if the world found a way of doing this that it would not be achieved [...]

What is the Better Indicator of Health Impacts from Particles- Black Carbon or PM?

Black carbon as an Additional Indicator of the Adverse Health Effects of Airborne Particles Compared to PM10 and PM2.5 (44 page pdf, Nicole AH Janssen, Gerard Hoek, Milena Simic-Lawson, Paul Fischer, Leendert van Bree, Harry ten Brink, Menno Keuken, Richard W Atkinson, H Ross Anderson, Bert Brunekreef, Flemming R Cassee, Environmental Health Perspectives, Aug. 2, [...]

Vehicle Emissions in Chinese Cities

Poor air quality hits many big cities (Li Jing, China Daily, Aug. 2, 2011) Today the focus is on the state of air quality in China’s cities, 40% of which are rated “poor” according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The main source of the pollution, as in major cities elsewhere, is vehicle emissions which [...]

Suburban Sprawl, Road Building and Vehicle Emissions

Lock-in Effects of Road Expansion on CO2 Emissions: Results from a Core-Periphery Model of Beijing ( 39 page pdf, Alex Anas and Govinda R. Timilsina, Working Papers, State University of New York at Buffalo, Jun. 9, 2010) By applying a traffic speed model to the megacity of Beijing, today’s review article examines the relationship between [...]

Diesel Exhaust Particulates and Heart Disease

Combustion-derived nanoparticulate induces the adverse vascular effects of diesel exhaust inhalation (12 page pdf, Nicholas L. Mills, Mark R. Miller, Andrew J. Lucking, Jon Beveridge, Laura Flint, A. John F. Boere, Paul H. Fokkens, Nicholas A. Boon, Thomas Sandstrom, Anders Blomberg, Rodger Duffin, Ken Donaldson, PatrickW.F. Hadoke, Flemming R. Cassee, and David E. Newby. European [...]

Ambient Air Pollution in Canada and Environmental Pricing

Background Report: Managing Industrial Air Emissions in Canada (22 page pdf, Prepared for Sustainable Prosperity by Nashina Shariff, June 2011) The article under review today is a rare (public) look at the state of how the management of air pollution is carried out in Canada. The study concludes that the historic top-down, national/ provincial  command [...]

Roadside Emission Impacts on Health in New Zealand

NIWA launches biggest-ever scientific air quality campaign (Our Science, National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research(NIWA), Sep. 2, 2010) Also discussed here: Scientists are investigating traffic-related air pollution (Scoop, Jul. 15, 2011) The focus of today’s review is a research study launched in 2010 to assess the contributions of roadside emissions from vehicles and from wood [...]

How Does Particulate Matter Affect the Brain

Air pollution impairs cognition, provokes depressive-like behaviors and alters hippocampal cytokine expression and morphology (L K Fonken, X Xu, Z M Weil, G Chen, Q Sun, S Rajagopalan and R J Nelson, Molecular Psychiatry , Jul. 5, 2011) The journal article reviewed today looks at the health impacts of air pollution, not on heart and [...]

Air Pollution at Airports

Gate Wait for Better Air (1 page pdf, Environmental Health Perspectives, Forum, Jul. 1, 2011) Today’s review article looks at ways to reduce emissions at airports by reducing taxiing times for aircraft preparing to take-off. Statistics indicate that an aircraft may spend as much as 30% of its time between push-off at the gate and [...]

How Can Transportation Technology and Practices Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

Technologies for Climate Change Mitigation: Transport Sector (250 page pdf, United Nations Environment Programme Risø Centre on Energy, Climate and Sustainable Development, March 2011) The focus today is on a comprehensive guide to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in transportation- either through improved technologies or in reducing travel with carbon consuming vehicles by such options as [...]

Greenest Cities in the U.S. and Canada

US and Canada Green City Index – Assessing the environmental performance of 27 major US and Canadian cities (71 page pdf, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, sponsored by Siemens, July 2011) Today’s review article comes from the Economist which assessed over two dozen cities in the US and Canada in terms of performance under [...]

How does driving contribute to climate change?

The Role of Driving in Reducing GHG Emissions and Oil Consumption (45 page pdf, EMBARQ and the World Resources Institute, Jul. 6, 2011) The focus of today’s review is a report on how reductions in vehicle miles travelled (VMT), much more efficient automobile technology (double the mileage per gallon) and actions to reduce driving by [...]

Urban Form and Greenhouse Gas Reductions

An Assessment of Urban Form and Pedestrian and Transit Improvements as an Integrated GHG Reduction Strategy (117 page pdf, Dr. Lawrence D. Frank, Michael J. Greenwald, Sarah Kavage, Andrew Devlin, Washington State Department of Transportation, Apr. 1, 2011) Today’s article under review looks at transportation demand management in and around Seattle, Washington as a way [...]

How Can Large Cities Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

How urban societies can adapt to resource shortage and climate change (22 page pdf, David Satterthwaite, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A (2011) 369, 1762–1783, May 2011) The focus today is on an analysis of greenhouse gas emissions in cities and how they can be reduced while maintaining a high quality of life. One suggestion is [...]

Impact of Nitrogen Dioxide on Mortality in Italian Cities

Short Term Effects of Nitrogen Dioxide on Mortality and Susceptibility Factors in Ten Italian Cities: the EpiAir Study (33 page pdf, Monica Chiusolo, Ennio Cadum, Massimo Stafoggia, Claudia Galassi, Giovanna Berti, Annunziata Faustini, Luigi Bisanti, Maria Angela Vigotti, Maria Patrizia Dessì, Achille Cernigliaro, Sandra Mallone, Barbara Pacelli, Sante Minerba, Lorenzo Simonato and Francesco Forastiere on [...]

Does the Charging of Hybrid Cars Produce Significant Pollution?

Air quality impacts of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Texas: evaluating three battery charging scenarios (12 page pdf, Tammy M Thompson, Carey W King, David T Allen and Michael E Webber, Environmental Research Letters, Volume 6, Number 2, Apr. 19, 2011)   Today’s focus is on the impact of the charging of hybrid cars on [...]

The Global Impacts of Vehicle Emissions on Climate Change

Climate, health, agricultural and economic impacts of tighter vehicle-emission standards (8 page pdf, Drew Shindell, Greg Faluvegi, Michael Walsh, Susan C. Anenberg, Rita Van Dingenen, Nicholas Z. Muller, Jeff Austin, Dorothy Koch and George Milly, Nature Climate Change, Mar. 29, 2011)   Today’s review article looks at the link between vehicle emission and climate change [...]

A New Look at the Ecological Footprint

Development of Ecological Footprint to an Essential Economic and Political Tool (17 page pdf, Hans P. Aubauer, Sustainability, Apr. 12, 2011)   The concept of a single measure of sustainability, the basis for the Ecological Footprint, is analyzed in the article reviewed today.  The various deficiencies are addressed by combining the EF with three other [...]

Does Better Urban Design Beat Better Car Design when it comes to Emissions?

Cities: A Smart Alternative to Cars: Creating compact communities—and eliminating the need to drive everywhere—may be the best way to slash greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles (Business Week, Feb. 11, 2008)   Today’s review articles focus on the reasons why curbing sprawl by developing compact communities lessens the need to drive and, as a result, [...]

Economic Impacts of Air Pollution from Asthma

The Economic Affliction of Asthma and Risks of Blocking Air Pollution Safeguards (12 page pdf, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments and the National Association of School Nurses, Apr. 6, 2011)   Today’s review article assesses the economic impact of asthma in the USA, both the direct costs from medical treatment and the indirect costs [...]

Roadside Traffic Emissions and Lung Transplants

The impact of traffic air pollution on bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome and mortality after lung transplantation (Abstract, Tim S Nawrot, Robin Vos, Lotte Jacobs, Stijn E Verleden, Shana Wauters, Veerle Mertens, Christophe Dooms, Peter H Hoet, Dirk E Van Raemdonck, Christel Faes, Lieven J Dupont, Benoit Nemery, Geert M Verleden, Bart M Vanaudenaerde, Thorax, British Medical [...]

Measuring Ultrafine Particle Emissions

Challenges and Approaches for Developing Ultrafine Particle Emission Inventories for Motor Vehicle and Bus Fleets (21 page pdf, Diane U. Keogh and Darrell Sonntag, Atmosphere 2011, 2(2), 36-56, Mar. 24, 2011)   The research reviewed today looks at the factors that need to be considered when developing a system to collect and archive ultrafine particle [...]

The Impact of Cities on the Environment

The environmental impact of cities (22 page pdf, Peter Newman, Environment and Urbanization, Oct. 2006)   Today’s review is of a paper by Prof Newman, recently the environment commissioner for Sydney, Australia. The paper compares three methods of estimating urban impacts: population impact method, ecological footprint and sustainability assessment, concluding that the latter offers the [...]

Impact of London Congestion Charge Scheme on Air Pollution

The impact of the congestion charging scheme on ambient air pollution concentrations in London (21 page pdf, R.W. Atkinson, B. Barratt, B. Armstrong, H.R. Anderson, S.D. Beevers, I.S. Mudway, D. Green, R.G. Derwent, P. Wilkinson, C. Tonne, F.J. Kelly, Atmospheric Environment, Volume 43, Issue 34, Pages 5493-5500, Nov, 2009) Today’s reviewed report is a land [...]

Polluted Air and Poor Health in UK Cities

Former banker’s pollution fight a breath of fresh air (Hélène Mulholland, Guardian, Feb. 22, 2011)   Today’s article describes efforts by a former banker, Simon Birkett, who took up efforts to pressure his government to take further action on clean air. He did this after reading critical and authoritative reports that the impact of air [...]

Abnormal Cold Periods and Pollution Build -Up

Urban NO2 and NO pollution in relation to the North Atlantic Oscillation NAO (Abstract, M. Grundström, H.W. Linderholm, J. Klingberg and H. Pleijel, Atmospheric Environment, February 2011)   Just as El Nino and La Nina have 6-10 year cycles and result in widespread global anomalies such as thaws, floods and droughts, the somewhat and more [...]

Modelling Rush Hour Emissions for Ottawa’s Major Roadways

Development of a Methodology for Estimating Vehicle Emissions (416 page pdf thesis, Jennifer Armstrong, Carleton University, AMICUS service of Library and Archives Canada, Aug. 2000)   The report reviewed today is a ground-breaking thesis by a graduate student at Carleton University’s engineering school which won awards from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and the Professional [...]

Health Outcomes of Reducing the Local Air Pollution Burden

Feasibility of Assessing Public Health Impacts of Air Pollution Reduction Programs on a Local Scale: New Haven Case Study (31 page pdf, Lobdell DT, Isakov V, Baxter L, Touma JS, Smuts MB, Özkaynak H, Environ Health Perspect, 18 Feb.18, 2011)     Today’s review article examines the feasibility of applying air quality modelling to the [...]

Urban Emissions of Greenhouse Gases

Cities and greenhouse gas emissions: moving forward (22 page pdf, Environment and Urbanization, Jan. 10, 2011) Also discussed here: New Study: Suburbs Can Pollute More than Cities (The Infrastructurist, Jan. 31, 2011) The article under review today analysed urban and suburban emissions of greenhouse gases based on a detailed study of Canada’s largest city, Toronto. [...]

Short-Lived Pollutants and Climate Change

Tackling short-lived pollutants offers big benefits (Options, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis/IIASA, Nov. 2010) Also discussed here: Climate Change Strategy to Curtail Short-lived Pollutants (Pollution Free Cities, Dec. 15, 2010) And here: The Impact of Short-Lived Pollutants on Arctic Climate (25 page pdf, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, Norway, Jan. 19, 2009) And here: [...]

Heavy Traffic and Childhood Leukemia

Image by searching4jphotography via Flickr Road Traffic and Childhood Leukemia: The ESCALE Study (SFCE) (29 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect, Dec.8, 2010) The article under review today looks at the links between proximity to heavy traffic (using NO2 as an indicator of traffic emissions) and the occurrence of leukemia, the most common childhood form of [...]

What do Cars Cost Society?

Taking the Con Out of Convenience: The True Cost of Transport Modes in Sydney (21 page pdf, Urban Policy and Research, Vol. 27, No. 1, 5–24, March 2009) Also discussed here: What costs society more – cars or public transport? (The Melbourne Urbanist, Nov. 24, 2010) And here: What Does a Car Really Cost? (Pollution [...]