#PowellsClass #5thperiodAPES

by

Tiny Particles increasing Heart Attacks

A new study in California has linked tiny particles released from cars being inhaled to deaths by way of heart attacks. These scary findings raise consumes of ultrafine particles which are so microscopic that they easily pass through the bloodstream and into the brain and important organs. The study that was conducted concluded that those living near traffic are more prone to being affected by these ultrafine particles. It is important to remember to stay off of major roadways such as those in downtown Los Angeles as they give off some of the world’s most polluted air.

 

 

While it is obvious that major roadways give off the most pollution and hurt the environment most critically, I never fully realized the true danger that standing on a major roadway can elicit. This will make me more cautious when I am near a busy street. It is especially scary because of how fine the particles being accidentally consumed are and how they can easily travel into your bloodstream and critical organs. This study further goes to show how dangerous air pollution is and all the negative affects it has on humans.

by

California Missed Pollution Deadline

The Los Angeles area is unlikely to make a deadline set for themselves in 2015 to clean coot from their air. The chief smog-fighting agency recently approved a plan to change their deadline for cleaning the soot out of the air, blaming the drought in California for the lack of decline in fine particle pollution. The agency will likely ask for an extension up to the year of 2017. With this extension being approved by a 10-1 vote, many air quality experts are up in arms saying that Southern California needs to do more and by missing this deadline it shows that not enough is being done, despite their being a drought.

 

I am disappointed that California is extending their deadlines and making excuses for this extremely important issue. The issue of smog is extremely relevant to southern Californian’s and it’s visibility, although decreasing is absolutely disgusting. While I understand the drought likely played a role in the original deadline not being met, I would like to see more statistics on their progress rather than just extending their deadline. I hope by the end of next year the new deadline will be met so they can continue to decrease the smog levels in Southern California.

 

by

Drought Worsening Smog

The extreme drought in California has dramatically slowed down efforts to remove smog from Southern California air. The prolonged dry spells has translated to a layer of heat trapping cooler air lower to the ground. This action causes pollution’s main concentration to occur closer to the ground. The air pollution in southern California is an extreme burden on citizens and also puts them at health risk. Hot conditions have also led to more forest fires, which increase air pollution with the levels of smoke being released into the atmosphere.

 

This article speaks to how the extreme drought in California has affected the air pollution. With California being in one of its worst droughts ever, the temperatures have increased making the smog’s level of concentration to drop significantly and further impacting humans. This is alarming and particularly scary as there is no clear solution. With this being said relief could come as soon as winter with storms and rain stirring up the air.

 

by

Overseas Airs affecting California’s Pollution

Increasing emissions from China and other fast-growing Asian countries are rapidly traveling across the Pacific Ocean and increasing levels of ozone in the California as well as other Western States according to a recently completed study. In a weeks’ time, winds carry ozone formed by emissions Asia to the U.S. where it adds to pollution and smog. Carmel Valley, which scientists say should have extremely clean air have found pollution on their boarders. Three other cities affected by these access emissions are Bakersfield, Fresno and Los Angeles.

 

This study did not shock me as I have previously looked into how terrible China’s contributions to air pollution across the globe is, however China should be punished for their air affecting cities across the world from them. It is not fair to Californian’s that we have to breathe the polluted air being created half way across the globe. While China is attempting to decease their emissions substantially, I think they should have to pay money for their lack of control on the important issue of air quality.

 

by

Subway on wheels transports millions

Subway on wheels transports millions. (2014, September 22). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from CNN News website: http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2014/09/22/spc-future-cities-brazil-curitiba-transportation.cnn

 

In the Brazilian city of Curitiba, the subway on wheels is the most iconic way of public transportation. Curitiba’s bus system serves up to 2 million people per day and has transformed city travel. They have created bus systems that combine three buses in one to maximize the number of passengers it can hold (up to 250 people). The problem this city is facing is that the working class cannot access the buses because they cannot afford to live in the city and the upper class tends to lean towards owning private cars. The mayor of Curitiba has identified the issue of transportation and has vowed to improve the system for many years to come. He has also implemented a bicycle lane along side the car lanes to encourage people to use more environmentally helpful means of transportation.

 

This video relates to environmental science because it shows how bustling cities such as Curitiba, are pushing for more green, environmentally friendly ways of public transportation by offering an advanced bus system, and bicycle friendly lanes. This is most definitely a step in the right direction. This advanced bus system has increased the number of people using public transportation. The mayor of Curitiba is trying to improve and think of new ideas to offer his citizens.

by

Worlds Largest Solar Plant

Roth, Sammy. “World’s Largest Solar Plant Opens in California Desert.”

USA Today. Gannett, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.

 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/10/worlds-largest-solar-plant-california-riverside-county/23159235/

 

 

the worlds larges solar plant has officially opened now in California. This not only marks the hopeful beginning to a new burst in growth in the solar industry but also a clear signal that the state loans program is both profitable for the state and hugely beneficial for the solar industry. This program, long derided by the conservative section of society as a loss of taxpayer money on risky endeavors. The completion of this project marks the fifth such plant that has been supported by the loans program, and the returns for the loans have so far kept to every single condition that they were given. This will hopefully mean that in the future more people can get these loans to build more such plants.

 

There is very little more important than finding ways to make funding Solar palatable to the conservative side of politics. As long as there is a clear green bottom line this goes a long way towards making it so. If funding solar becomes profitable there will soon be more and more companies that want to get in on the new business. This project is just one part of a larger series of such plants that are hopefully the budding start to a surge in solar energy production. Many green energy sources are growing exponentially, wind for example has been doubling globally each year. If this trend holds true for solar energy as it has for wind we could expect to see a sizable portion of our power generated by solar and that is not even considering the other energy sources.

 

by

Sandia Labs study points to advantages of storing hydrogen in salt mines

Sandia National Laboratories. (2014, December 9). Sandia Labs study points to advantages of storing hydrogen in salt mines. Retrieved February 27, 2015, from Environmental News Network website: http://www.enn.com/energy/article/48077

 

Sandia National Laboratories have discovered that “large-scale storage of low pressure, gaseous hydrogen in salt caverns and other underground sites for transportation fuel and grid-scale energy applications offers several advantages over above-ground storage.” This discovery of geologic storage of hydrogen could make it easier for companies selling fuel cell electric cars to access large amounts of hydrogen fuel. Salt caverns would “provide a low-cost solution for the geologic storage of hydrogen.” This will lead to the examination of metropolitan cities to see if they can store large quantities of gas.

 

This article relates to environmental science because it shows how the science behind transportation is developing further into more cost efficient, natural alternatives. Storing hydrogen gas in salt caverns seems to be a perfect solution over above ground storage. This solution will not only make it easier for companies selling fuel cell electric cats to access large amounts of hydrogen fuel, but it also saves money. Of course I must question the environmental downsides to this type of storage. What if “hydrogen gas mixes with residual gas or oil, or reacts with minerals in surrounding rock?” How about the actual destruction of geologic rock to store the hydrogen gas? What kinds of environmental issues will this pose?

by

Are gondolas the next big thing in urban transport?

Macguire, E. (2014, September 18). Skypods: Are gondolas the next big thing in urban transport? Retrieved February 27, 2015, from CNN News website: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/13/business/skypods-gondolas-urban-transport/index.html#em0

 

In cities such as Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, “servicing the people with reliable transit service has long proven difficult.” La Paz is one of the highest cities in the world with “bus journeys that are only a few miles long, but take up to an hour during busy periods.” Yet a $235 million system of mass transportation is being set into place consisting of “three separate service lines stretching across a combined 10.7 kilometer area of the city.” This will be considerably less expensive than building a railway or subway, take up less space, and cause the least amount of chaos. This gondola system will reduce the time spent traveling from city to city, reduce pollution, and increase efficiency.

This article relates to environmental science because it shows how transportation in urban areas is developing to increase mobility and efficiency from place to place. For metropolis cities like La Paz, this new system of public transportation, gondolas, is cost efficient for the city and citizens, saves people half the regular travel time during periods of high traffic, and will have tremendous results in saving the environment. I think this gondola system will have dramatic effects for the citizens living in La Paz, and will benefit the city in so many ways.

by

Solar Map

“Welcome to the San FranciscoSolar Map!” San Francisco Solar Map.

City of San Francisco, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

 

http://sfenergymap.org (check it out!)

 

The city of San Francisco has created a Google maps page that outlines all the solar energy collection in the city. This “solar census” allows anyone to see the spread of solar energy collection in the city. It provides both a concentration map of the solar collection as well as an installation-by-installation map of the entire city. This allows anyone to see what businesses and city structures are producing clean energy. This knowledge can let people know what organizations are being environmentally conscious, and what organizations are being reckless in their energy consumption.

 

An educated populace is the first step toward green energy, if people don’t know about an issue they can’t get involved and make things happen. Knowledge is power, if this is indeed true then this Google Map, no doubt the product of a few tens of hours of work can provide a sweeping understanding of the clean energy situation in the city. If people become aware of which companies use solar energy and react to this by using their purchasing power accordingly it will suddenly become economically sensible to transition to solar power and more businesses will begin to switch over to solar.

by

Going green has benefits beyond being good for you and the planet

Click Green (Ed.). (2014, December 22). Going green has benefits beyond being good for you and the planet. Retrieved February 27, 2015, from Environmental News Network website: http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/48119

 

The number of accidents due to everyday distractions is increasing and according to distraction.gov, statistics reveal that phones, radios, food, and sleepiness are causing them. Public transportation is proven to be significantly less dangerous and also helps the environment, such as biking, walking, or taking a bus or train. By taking a greener approach to everyday travel, it saves money, and can “also play a key role in reducing accidents” and the number of people on the road.

 

This article relates to environmental science because is shows how transportation is trying to go green, and reduce the amount of pollution from cars and overall safety of people on the road. According to this article it is statistically proven that there are less accidents with public transportation than by driving alone. With these odds I find it less comforting to know that the technological distractions of radios and phones are causing so many accidents. On top of saving the environment, it also saves money in the long run. I think it is imperative that people consider public transportation as their everyday means of travel.