New research helps clarify how frequently contrails form within clouds and what that means for their effect on the climate.
air pollution
Fungal Spores in Wildfire Smoke Could Cause Lung Disease
Mice exposed to fungi spready by wildfires developed symptoms, exposing a potential health hazard to humans that has been understudied.
EPA to Abandon Stricter PM2.5 Air Pollution Limits
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency moved this week to reduce limits on fine particulate air pollution, including soot, set by the Biden administration last year.
EPA Proposes That Major Polluters No Longer Report Their Emissions
The EPA proposed today that approximately 8,000 polluting facilities, including oil refineries, power plants, and steel mills, should no longer be required to report their greenhouse gas emissions.
Living Near an Indigenous Forest Could Reduce the Risk of Disease
An analysis of 20 years of health data in eight Amazonian countries, published today in Communications Earth and Environment, shows that protecting Indigenous-managed forests may help reduce various kinds of disease, including fire-related respiratory diseases and illnesses spread by animals.
Public Speaks Out Against EPA Plan to Rescind Endangerment Finding
Advocates, scientists, doctors, members of Congress, kids, parents, and other individuals spoke out in a series of hearings last week to let the Environmental Protection Agency know how they feel about a potential sea change in climate and environmental policy: the proposed repeal of the 2009 Endangerment Finding.
A New Satellite Material Comes Out of the Woodwork
With lessons learned from their first attempt, Kyoto University scientists hope a second CubeSat made of magnolia will spark an age of wooden spacecraft.
What’s Changed—and What Hasn’t—Since the EPA’s Endangerment Finding
A scientist-authored brief played a role in the 2009 determination that greenhouse gases endanger public health. With the finding now up for reconsideration, the same scientists revisit their opinion.
Heat and Pollution Events Are Deadly, Especially in the Global South
Researchers found that the combination of heat waves and high PM2.5 pollution led to nearly 700,000 premature deaths in the past 30 years—most of which occurred in the Global South.
Denver’s Stinkiest Air Is Concentrated in Less Privileged Neighborhoods
The bad odors of air pollution are difficult to regulate, but can pose significant health risks, reduce a home’s property value, and affect a homeowner’s peace of mind.
