Air Pollution from Asia Affecting World's Weather

[longknife]

Jan. 21, 2014 — Extreme air pollution in Asia is affecting the world's weather and climate patterns, according to a study by Texas A&M University and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers.

But, let's do everything we can to blame American industries for this. Goodness gracious. We certainly can't blame anyone else – that would put our precious EPA out of business!! Read more @ Air pollution from Asia affecting world's weather

 

[Mr. H.]

Yet the USEPA is hell-bent on shutting down OUR industrial production in the name of climate change.

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd wonderin' if the fumes from the local dump makes Granny so squirrely...

Air Pollution Linked to Autism, Schizophrenia, Study Finds
June 05, 2014 ~ There’s new evidence of a link between air pollution and some mental disorders, including autism and schizophrenia, say researchers who exposed mice to pollutants and found telltale changes in their brains.

Scientists from the University of Rochester medical school in New York state outlined their findings in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, published online Thursday. In initial studies, the researchers exposed certain mice to air pollution and then gave them behavioral tests. Mice that breathed polluted air did worse on tests of mental functioning than mice that breathed clean air, said research leader Deborah Cory-Slechta, Ph.D. The ones exposed to pollution did worse in a learning test. And the results were the same when they were tested for memory. “You could see again there were deficits in that short-term memory,” Cory-Slechta said. “And those we also saw in both males and females.”

Testing physical effects

The research team decided to see if the pollution was having any physical effect on the laboratory animals’ brains. So they launched a new study. When they examined the brains of the pollution-breathing mice, they found the lateral ventricles – part of the brain’s cerebrospinal fluid circulatory system – were two to three times the normal size. In humans, this enlargement is associated with autism, schizophrenia and more, Cory-Slechta said. “It is an indicator of poor development. It is a prognosis for poor development of children with behavioral, IQ, cognitive, and other kinds of deficits that will persist.”

A mouse brain that was exposed to polluted air shows an enlarged lateral ventricle (right) compared with a mouse whose air was clean and filtered. Enlarged lateral ventricles are associated in humans with autism and schizophrenia.

In addition, structures that communicate between left and right halves of the brain were not fully developed in the pollution-breathing mice. The laboratory animals were exposed to polluted air just days after birth, and their brains were tested soon after. But the same impairment was found when the brains of several months-old mice were examined, indicating the damage does not go away.

Hazardous ultra-fine particles

The polluted air in this experiment was made up of ultra-fine particles, which are believed to be more dangerous because they are small enough to get deep into the lungs and into the bloodstream. Cory-Slechta said her research may help explain why a number of other studies have shown a statistical link between air pollution and autism: “Our data basically, we think, provide a biological plausibility for that kind of association.”

Air Pollution Linked to Autism, Schizophrenia, Study Finds

 

[TheOldSchool]

Impossible man. Everyone knows humans have never had any kind of impact on anything ever.

 

[waltky]

Air pollution a major problem in East Asia...

Yellow haze: nothing clear about Asian skies
August 15, 2014 - Just about the only thing clear about the skies over large parts of South Korea and western Japan each spring and summer is that an unhealthy yellow haze of pollution drifts over from China.

Mountains and the tops of tall buildings fade in the smog. Warnings are issued for residents to stay inside on the worst days. Things are even worse in Beijing and other major Chinese cities, and the country has taken some steps to reduce the high concentration of desert sand and what’s known as PM2.5 pollution, installing emissions-cutting exhaust filters, reducing coal use, tightening vehicle emission standards and working to reduce particulate matter.

The effectiveness of the efforts is uncertain. Government officials and researchers in Japan and South Korea describe the situation as a delicate balancing act, where some believe China’s steps are working, while others say the haze hasn’t gotten any better and could get worse -- depending on climate conditions, China’s enormous population and lofty industrial goals. “Basically, since the late 1990s when the economic growth in China started, the particles started to come to Japan and South Korea,” said Toshihiko Takemura, associate professor of atmospheric pollution studies at the Kyushu University in Fukuoka, a couple of hours north of Sasebo Naval Base in southern Japan. “The amount of incoming PM2.5 in Japan neither decreased nor increased in the past 15 years.”

The weather phenomenon called HwangSa -- also referred to as Yellow Sand or Asian Dust -- has been known to engulf cities in South Korea.

Col. Hee-Choon Sam Lee, chief of Force Health Protection and Preventive Medicine for the 65th Medical Brigade in South Korea, said particulate matter is associated with an increase in common illnesses including eye infections and upper respiratory conditions, such as coughing and asthma. But because the military population in South Korea is small, it’s difficult to say whether air pollution causes an increase in those illnesses within the USFK community, he said. Korean hospitals — which have a larger pool of patients — report a link between declining air quality and illness, he said. “It is not an acute problem (for the military), but over-long exposure to it can cause someone to have so many asthma attacks that it might not be feasible for that person to remain in Korea,” he said, adding that his comments represent his opinion and not that of the military.

A small handful of USFK-affiliated patients who are sensitive to air quality may experience health problems severe enough for them to consider going back to the U.S. early or to not extend their tours, he said. Particulate exposure in South Korea is highest through the late fall and winter months, though that period has been coming earlier and staying later. PM2.5 particles are about 1/30th the width of a human hair and can reach deep inside the lungs, according to Japan’s Environment Ministry website. They pose various health risks, especially to those with respiratory ailments, such as asthma and bronchitis, and at-risk populations such as children and the elderly, and could contribute to lung cancer and heart attacks.

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[mamooth]

Interesting logic in the OP. "China pollutes a lot, so it's okay for us to pollute!".

Me, I learned by kindergarten that "but he did it too!" could not be used to excuse my own actions.

 

[initforme]

Some point to China as a good economic model. Fools they are. The air over there is truly disgusting and no profit or economy is worth the risk to lives but I guess China looks at its citizens as non important and expendable. Tough and rigorous air standards should be the only way to go and why the people there accept those conditions is beyond me. This is what relaxing air standards does.

 

[william the wie]

What air standards are associated with China ?

 

[bripat9643]

Jan. 21, 2014 — Extreme air pollution in Asia is affecting the world's weather and climate patterns, according to a study by Texas A&M University and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers.

But, let's do everything we can to blame American industries for this. Goodness gracious. We certainly can't blame anyone else – that would put our precious EPA out of business!! Read more @ Air pollution from Asia affecting world's weather

Another AGW nut-burger study? We can toss that on the scrapheap of exposed left-wing scams.

 

[Crick]

And where,exactly, is the study/research/evidence/whatever on which you base your conclusion that the study is "nut burger"?

 

[longknife]

Jan. 21, 2014 — Extreme air pollution in Asia is affecting the world's weather and climate patterns, according to a study by Texas A&M University and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers.

But, let's do everything we can to blame American industries for this. Goodness gracious. We certainly can't blame anyone else – that would put our precious EPA out of business!! Read more @ Air pollution from Asia affecting world's weather

Another AGW nut-burger study? We can toss that on the scrapheap of exposed left-wing scams.

You really can't deal with anything that questions your expert point of view, can you?

 

[waltky]

Indonesia Starts Legal Action Against Companies Generating Air Pollution...

Indonesia Starts Legal Action Against Companies Linked to SE Asia Haze
September 22, 2015 — Indonesia has ordered four companies to suspend operations for allegedly causing forest fires that have sent thick smoke across a swathe of Southeast Asia, an environment ministry official said on Tuesday.

Indonesia has launched investigations against more than 200 companies as it scrambles to bring the fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan islands under control by the end of November, amid complaints from neighboring Singapore and Malaysia. Previous government efforts to halt the seasonal slash-and-burn practices have failed to tackle the problem due to a lack of policy coordination and legal wrangling that can take years to resolve. "These suspensions will be in effect until the criminal proceedings undertaken by the police are finished," environment ministry secretary general Bambang Hendroyono said.

Three palm oil plantation companies have had their permits frozen and one forestry company has had its licence revoked, he added. All the companies were Indonesian-owned. Plantation company PT Langgam Inti Hibrindo (LIH), which is owned by small listed firm PT Provident Agro, was among the companies to have its permit frozen, Bambang Hendroyono said. Provident Agro said in an email to Reuters that LIH had not received any notice of its operational license being suspended or revoked. Director of criminal law at the environment ministry, Muhammad Yunus, said a Singapore-owned company was also under investigation, but declined to elaborate.

An officer points to fires or hot spots in Kalimantan, Indonesian part of Borneo, on a screen at the Fire Command Post at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in Jakarta

President Joko Widodo has ordered thousands of security personnel backed by helicopters to help fight the fires, and has threatened to revoke land permits from companies found responsible. Haze has blanketed the region in recent weeks, pushing pollution levels to record highs in Singapore, Malaysia and northern Indonesia. An air pollution index in Singapore rose into "unhealthy" territory on Tuesday, according to a government website.

Underscoring the difficulties for the Indonesian government, the Supreme Court this month upheld for the first time a 366 billion rupiah ($25.26 million) fine against PT Kallista Alam for illegally burning peatland, a case that took three years to be resolved. Green groups say that the Indonesian government needs to put in place a longer-term plan to tackle the annual burning, and that a greater proportion of budgeted funds should be spent on prevention.

Indonesia Starts Legal Action Against Companies Linked to SE Asia Haze

See also:

In Thailand, Concerns Mount Over King's Health
September 22, 2015 — Concern is mounting in Thailand about the condition of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has reigned since 1946.

His youngest child, Princess Chulabhorn, made an unusual public appeal last week for recitations of the Buddhist Pochangkaparitra healing prayer for her 87-year-old father, who has spent much of the past several years in a hospital in the capital. King Bhumibol, also known as Rama IX, last appeared in public earlier this month when he briefly left his suite inside Siriraj Hospital. Since then, palace medical bulletins have noted blood infections, fever, and lung inflammation. He is said to have improved, but national anxiety persists.

The heir apparent, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, has not attained the exalted level of adoration given to his parents. On a scorching Sunday in mid-August he led a 43-kilometer mass bicycle ride in tribute to his ailing 83-year-old mother, Queen Sirikit. The nationally televised event, with more than 145,000 cyclists and 9,000 police officers, was seen as demonstrating to a nation under army rule that the military backs the crown prince to succeed his father.

Succession questions

“The people in power are from the Queen's Guard and we know that the queen has always endorsed the enthronement of her son,” explained Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at Kyoto University and currently a distinguished fellow at Stanford University. Although other military factions may have had mixed feelings about the heir apparent “they have to come to terms with the reality that the crown prince is the next king,” said University of Wisconsin professor of Southeast Asian history Thongchai Winichakul. Thonghchai cautions that the status quo may not hold after King Bhumibol's death because there “are too many variables. I doubt if the military knows either.” While the prince has been designated as the heir to the throne, he remains a more publicly remote figure whose private life has been a source of concern.

Some have speculated that his sister, Princess Sirindhorn, who is broadly admired for her philanthropic work and educational endeavors, could become a successor. But she has not been formally designated as an heir to the throne. Bangkok's royalists are especially fond of Princess Sirindhorn, notes Pavin and this same group “may come out to question the suitability of the crown prince as we are approaching the royal transition.” Also at stake is control of an estimated fortune of more than $35 billion in real estate.

Open discussion of the royal succession is taboo and related topics, such as any comment deemed to be critical of or threatening senior members of the royal family can result in lengthy prison sentences under Thailand's harsh lese majeste law. The U.N. human rights office last month expressed concern about the criminal law, virtually unchanged since 1908. “We are also alarmed at the spike in harsh prison terms delivered in such cases by the military courts, which themselves fail to meet international human rights standards, including the right to a fair trial,” said Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman in Geneva for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Silencing discussion

 

[waltky]

Arctic sea ice loss causin' China's 'airpocalypse'...

China's 'airpocalypse' linked to Arctic sea ice loss
Wed, 15 Mar 2017 - A deadly haze of air pollution over China in 2013 has been linked to the melting of Arctic sea ice.

The air pollution that lingered over eastern China for nearly a month in 2013 has been linked to the loss of Arctic sea ice the previous autumn. A study says the haze lasted much longer because the melting ice and increased snowfall altered wind circulation patterns. If Arctic ice continues to shrink due to climate change, the scientists say similar events will likely recur. They argue that this could threaten the Beijing Winter Olympics set for 2022.

Emissions puzzle

Air quality issues have plagued China in recent years but the pollution experienced in January 2013 was significant because it lasted so long. The large-scale haze stayed in place for almost a month and around 70% of China's 74 major cities exceeded the daily air quality standard for very fine particulate matter, which poses serious risks to health. Scientists were puzzled by the event as the Chinese government had taken steps to curb emissions from coal fired power plants, one of the most significant contributors to air pollution.

Air pollution that lingered over eastern China in 2013 is being linked to changes in Arctic sea ice​

Now researchers say that record Arctic sea ice decline in late 2012, plus extensive snowfall over Siberia disturbed wind patterns and produced stagnant air conditions over the east China plain. "In wintertime, in regions like Beijing you get these north west howling winds that blow like hell," said Prof Yuhang Wang from Georgia Tech University, one of the report's authors. "A ridge system controls the intensity and location of this cold air moving south so what happens when you put in sea ice forcing or snow forcing, the ridge system gets weaker and moves eastward - instead of cold air blowing in the eastern part of China, it went to Korea and Japan in January 2013."

A haze of air pollution hung over eastern China for around a month in 2013​

The research team looked at ventilation conditions over the past 35 years and were able to show that the poor dispersal seen in 2013 was unique. They then looked at the climate related factors that might contribute to poor ventilation and their findings indicate that the loss of Arctic ice and snowfall over the forests of Eurasia were critical for the haze event. The researchers weren't able to separate the scale of the impacts between these two factors. What they are sure about is that in combination, they made the haze much worse. "You see evidence in the summer that the particulate matter is getting less, but you don't see a clear trend in the winter and what we believe is that the effort is being hammered by changes in the Polar region with ice and snow," said Prof Wang.

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[Old Rocks]

Jan. 21, 2014 — Extreme air pollution in Asia is affecting the world's weather and climate patterns, according to a study by Texas A&M University and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers.

But, let's do everything we can to blame American industries for this. Goodness gracious. We certainly can't blame anyone else – that would put our precious EPA out of business!! Read more @ Air pollution from Asia affecting world's weather

Now when have you ever heard anyone state that the Asian air pollution is not a problem? But right now we have an orange bozo in the White House that would increase the contribution of the US to the pollution of the atmosphere.

So, asshole, you resent the fact that the EPA would like to make our air, water, and soil cleaner? You love lead and mercury for our children's health? Yes, you are an asshole for you fully support increasing the pollution in our nation.

 

[longknife]

Jan. 21, 2014 — Extreme air pollution in Asia is affecting the world's weather and climate patterns, according to a study by Texas A&M University and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers.

But, let's do everything we can to blame American industries for this. Goodness gracious. We certainly can't blame anyone else – that would put our precious EPA out of business!! Read more @ Air pollution from Asia affecting world's weather

Now when have you ever heard anyone state that the Asian air pollution is not a problem? But right now we have an orange bozo in the White House that would increase the contribution of the US to the pollution of the atmosphere.

So, asshole, you resent the fact that the EPA would like to make our air, water, and soil cleaner? You love lead and mercury for our children's health? Yes, you are an asshole for you fully support increasing the pollution in our nation.

Still kinda butthurt are we?

 

[flacaltenn]

Jan. 21, 2014 — Extreme air pollution in Asia is affecting the world's weather and climate patterns, according to a study by Texas A&M University and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory researchers.

But, let's do everything we can to blame American industries for this. Goodness gracious. We certainly can't blame anyone else – that would put our precious EPA out of business!! Read more @ Air pollution from Asia affecting world's weather

I'd rather have a treaty with China on REAL pollution and challenge them to a dual on THAT -- rather than this canard of racing to the bottom of CO2. Would be healthier for the planet and a LOT MORE productive in standard of living..

 

[waltky]

Chinese no longer willing to wait for solution to pollution problems...

Tensions rising as Chinese no longer willing to hold their breath on pollution problems
Monday 20th March, 2017 - Cracking down on dissent has been a hallmark of Chinese public life. But a population once ignorant of the toxic cost of pollution is speaking out against a government intent on growing the economy. The war on pollution has increased tensions across China, Nathan VanderKlippe reports.

In the village dubbed the birthplace of Beijing’s smog, anger is rising into a sky that seems permanently darkened by pollution. At least three times over the past two years, local residents in Songting have gathered to protest at the gates of the steelworks that surround the place generations have called home. People here once farmed rice, peanuts and corn until, in the years before the Beijing Olympics, their fields were transformed into an industrial forest of pipes, stacks and production lines, after iron and steel companies moved away from the capital to leave behind cleaner air for the Games. Two-hundred kilometres east of Beijing, they erected a metallic forest of emissions towers that belch exhaust and soot. During one severe episode in February, the air grew so thick that residents could no longer see across their narrow streets and workers got lost on the way home.

Now the villagers are fed up. One of the recent steel-mill protests lasted more than a week. “Every day, more than 30 people gathered there,” said Zhao Xiuying, 54, who lives in an old village home that backs out onto a vista of metalworks. The villagers demanded pollution compensation, but received nothing. So they tried again. “We blocked the coking plant, too,” Ms. Zhao said. “But no one fixed our problem.”

Speaking out can be risky in China, where officials move quickly to crush efforts to organize dissent of any kind. But across China, a population once ignorant of the damage wrought by noxious air has gained a keen awareness of what they are breathing – and a growing unwillingness to accept it. “Before, people might have just endured. Now, that patience and endurance has worn out,” said Ma Jun, China’s best-known environmentalist. “We have seen more demands from people to solve the problem.” Stalled progress has made those demands grow more acute.

Until this winter, a raft of government measures set in place under a Chinese “war on pollution” had yielded annual improvements. Gradually, people were beginning to see more blue skies. But amid a slowing economy, a surge in steel production capacity has been accompanied by waves of thick air that have coated northern China this winter, while southern regions have also suffered unusually bad air. Air quality worsened in the area around Beijing throughout much of 2016, a trend that has continued this year. Average Beijing air quality in January was among the worst since 2009, the first full year air monitoring statistics are available. The city’s February air, on average, was 35 per cent more polluted this year than last.

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