The United States government would get a better bang for its health-care buck in managing the country’s most prevalent childhood disabilities if it invested more in eliminating socio-environmental risk factors than in developing medicines.
Tag Archives: pollution
How buying dirty fossil fuels can benefit the climate: it’s all about economics
Environmental policy has historically been driven by a demand-side mindset — attempting to limit consumption of precious fossil fuels through pollution permits, taxation, and multi-national climate change treaties. However, new research from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University suggests that actually buying coal, oil and other dirty fossil fuel deposits still in the ground could be a far better way to fight climate change.
54,000 gallons of spilled bunker oil can be enough to devastate a commercial herring population
Such an oil spill, which occurred during the 2007 Cosco Busan collision (container ship vs bridge) in San Francisco Bay, is (supposed to be) peanuts compared to for instance the 1989 Exxon Valdez’s 32,000,000 gallons of crude, or the BP … Continue reading
Indian aerosol pollution stimulates tropical cyclones over Arabian Sea – because of monsoon disturbance
White sulfur aerosols cool the climate; black carbon soot warms the climate. So when you mix the two kinds of aerosol pollution up in the Asian brown cloud, one would expect climate effects to even out. Unfortunately in our physical … Continue reading
Coral is losing its chemical war with seaweeds
As if anthropogenic pollution and overfishing isn’t damaging enough for coral reefs worldwide, now certain seaweeds seem determined to see the end of reefs as well. These macroalgae produce chemicals that inhibit the growth of reef-building coral or even kill … Continue reading
Diesel nanoparticles may disturb bee’s homing device, contribute to CCD
Air pollution from diesel engine fumes may end up in a honeybee’s brain. And for our flower-powered little friends that could be about as bad as it sounds, say a group of researchers from the University of Southampton – led … Continue reading
Today’s paradox: Indian monsoon may recover at price of climate change
Over the second half of the 20th century the monsoon rains in the Ganges Valley in north and northeast India decreased by 10 percent. Meanwhile monsoon rains in the south and the Indus Valley [remember 2010 Pakistan floods] increased. Burning … Continue reading