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U.S. Government DATA**:
Smog can adversely affect the lungs and heart, and has been
linked to increased respiratory and cardiovascular
hospitalizations. It can aggravate pre-existing heart and lung conditions such as asthma, emphysema
and bronchitis and in some cases can result in premature death.
Sensitive groups include:
People with lung diseases (e.g., asthma) and
heart conditions
Seniors
Children
Pregnant women
People with allergies
Smokers
People who work or exercise outdoors
Climate change:
Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
***The U.S. EPA, NOAA, NPS, tribal,
state, and local agencies developed the AIRNow Web site
Air Pollution:
More than 2,000 peer-reviewed studies
on the subject have been published since 1996, when the
EPA last reviewed the standards for particle pollution.
The new studies validate the research done before 1996,
showing the strong relationship between particle
pollution, illness, hospitalization and premature
death.**
**American Lung Association
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The Green Global Office as a way to reduce paper
usage:
Americans recycled 42 million tons of paper last year—50% of what they used—but still pulverized the rest. Paper does grow on trees: 900 million of them every year become pulp and paper.
We can reduce that number by buying more recycled paper. It uses 60% less energy than virgin paper. Each ton purchased saves 4,000 kW-h of energy, 7,000 gal. of water and 17 trees, and a tree has the capacity to filter up to 60 lbs. of pollutants from the air.
Ozone:
Ozone is formed at ground level when pollutants
emitted by cars, refineries, chemical plants and other sources react chemically in the presence of
sunlight. Ground-level ozone is a harmful pollutant, and must not be confused with the protective ozone
in the upper atmosphere which shields the earth from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
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Conservation and the concept of
Pooling:
With transport accounting for more than 30% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, one of the best ways to reduce them is
avoiding tranporation or by pooling such as using
public transportation. Public transit saves an estimated 1.4 billion gal. of gas annually, which translates into about 14 million tons of CO2, according to the American Public Transportation Association.
Unfortunately, 88% of all trips in the U.S. are by car. Partly, that's because public transportation is more readily available in big urban areas. One promising alternative is bus rapid transit (BRT), which features extra-long carriers running in dedicated lanes. Buses emit more carbon than trains, but that can be minimized by using hybrid or
compressed -natural-gas engines. A study last year by the Breakthrough Technologies Institute found that a BRT system in a medium-size U.S. city could cut emissions by as much as 654,000 tons over 20 years.
Thanks to high gas prices, miles driven per motorist dropped in 2005 for the first time since 1980, according to the Pew Research Center. The U.S. is ready to change.
Climate change:
The rate of warming is increasing.
The 20th century's last two decades were the hottest
in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several
millennia, according to a number of climate studies.
And the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12
years are among the dozen warmest since 1850.
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1998
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