Global Scans · Pollution · Weekly Summary

• The UK alone (which accounts for about 1% of global emissions) will have little impact on climate change so long as the likes of the US and China (which together account for some 45% of emissions) keep polluting. The Week UK
• Using wood-burning stoves increases the amount of carbon dioxide and methane released into the planet's air, which contributes to pollution and could be a factor in climate change. House Digest
• Air pollution is now considered the world's largest environmental threat to health and accounts for 7 million premature deaths around the world each year according to the WHO. MarketScreener
• Embracing reuse systems presents an opportunity to reduce plastic pollution by 30% by 2040 and potentially decrease greenhouse gas emissions from packaging production by a staggering 80%. Pressenza
• Every year, the beginning of the paddy harvesting season in Punjab brings fears of smog and air pollution arising from stubble burning. Renewable Watch
• About Empower Semiconductor Data being communicated and processed around the globe is anticipated to drive the energy consumption of data centers and communications networks to 17% of total electricity demand worldwide by 2030, dramatically increasing pollution, carbon emissions and cost. EEJournal
• Mongolia's heavy dependence on fossil fuels is posing major health risks to its people, especially in urban areas like Ulaanbaatar, where air pollution reaches hazardous levels during winter months. UNDP
• The rate of air quality alerts can increase by 4-fold on average by 2100 if the emission of greenhouse gases and air pollutants (particulate matter) is not reduced. News-Medical
• Pennsylvania could look to New Mexico's recently updated standards for monitoring for and fixing leaks in the oil and gas system as a model for a strong approach to reducing pollution and reducing waste in the oil and gas system. Evergreen Action
• Findings from an MIT study have indicated that closing down all U.S. nuclear energy plants would increase air pollution to levels that could result in an additional 5,200 pollution-related deaths annually. Environment Energy Leader
• Air pollution has been shown to reduce the global average life expectancy by 2.9 years, a reduction that is more extensive when compared with traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as tobacco smoking (2.2 years). OUP Academic
• Air pollution is the main environmental cause of early death, and new research from experts in Canada and the United States finds that, in about 75 years, climate change will see the number of air quality alerts in the U.S. to quadruple. Waterloo News
• The global plastic pollution crisis has intensified the search for alternatives to single-use plastics and will spur the promotion of zero-waste initiatives in 2024. BusinessWorld
• The increasing number and intensity of wildfires in the U.S. counteract or even overshadow the reduction in anthropogenic emissions, exacerbating air pollution and heightening the risks of both morbidity and mortality. ScienceDaily
• Action on emissions will have major co-benefits for air quality: 15 of the 25 most polluted cities in the world are in EMDEs (and a further 9 in China), and air pollution is a major cause of premature death. IEA
• The world's five oceans, which together cover 71% of Earth's surface, have come under threat from a range of human activities, including overfishing, plastics pollution, and climate change. Atlantic Council
• Major direct threats to biodiversity include habitat loss and fragmentation, unsustainable resource use, invasive species, pollution, and global climate change. American Museum of Natural History
• At present, the energy of thermal power generation is higher than 68% of the total power generation, and the increasing electricity consumption of urban and rural residents will undoubtedly aggravate the global energy crisis and environmental pollution. Nature
• Energy generation emission was one of the sources of air pollution, and the second biggest threat to health in Ghana and caused 28,000 deaths a year. Ghana News Agency
• Habitat loss, pollution, climate change and disease are putting an estimated 1m species worldwide at risk. The Guardian

Last updated: 05 February 2024