Month: March 2023

Naturally Disastrous Consequences 🌪️

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, and volcanic eruptions can have a significant impact on air pollution levels worldwide. The damage caused by these events can result in the release of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere, leading to serious health and environmental consequences. Given the rise in extreme weather events, it has become pertinent to explore the two-way relationship between natural disasters and atmospheric air quality. 

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Pollution from Urban Heat Islands

dispersion Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) have become a growing concern in recent years due to their impact on the environment and human health. UHIs are defined as areas in urbanised regions where the temperature is significantly higher than in surrounding rural areas. The formation of secondary pollutants is a serious concern in urban environments, and the influence of UHIs on this process has been extensively studied. This blog post discusses how UHIs influence secondary pollutant formation and explores some of the implications of this phenomenon for human health and the environment.

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The Controversy of Carbon Offsets

Now that we understand carbon offsets a little better (if you don’t, check out my previous post!), this blog delves into the reasons why carbon offsets may not be entirely as green nor as effective as they sound. The biggest backlash that carbon offsets face is their inability to address the root cause of the pollution and climate change problem: the continuous and exponential rise in global emissions. This blog thus examines some of the key limitations and controversies surrounding the adoption of carbon offsets.  

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What Are Carbon Offsets?

Hello, welcome back to my blog! Given the pressing need to mitigate air pollution in view of retarding global warming, various measures like carbon taxes and carbon offsets have been introduced. In this post, we first explore what carbon offsets are and why there is a need for such a measure in our current world. I will then proceed to explore the controversy of implementing carbon offsets and their surrounding implications in my next post, so do stay tuned for that as well!

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Sucking the Air Out: Giant Pollution Vacuums

In my previous post, I explored how birds can be an unconventional solution to tackle climate change. In this post, I explore another innovative, out-of-the-box method: giant vacuum cleaners to suck air pollutants!

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The Rise of the Winged Warriors🐦

Birds are more than just our feathery friends – they actually play various critical roles in combating air pollution! Several research studies have been conducted to investigate the viability of utilizing bird feathers to track environmental pollution levels and past records. The success of these studies and experiments represents a breakthrough in nature-based solutions, which aim to protect and manage environmental issues in a sustainable manner. 

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Environmental (In)justice and UnfAIRness

Although air pollution is a major global issue that affects 9 out of 10 people while reaching a death toll of 7 million annually, it is more than just a health risk that we need to address. Rather, its disproportionate impacts highlight the lack of environmental justice. Unfortunately, low income and marginalized communities often bear the brunt of air pollution due to their lack of ability or capacity to mitigate the consequences. 

This blog thus explores the link between environmental (in)justice and environmental concerns pertaining to the rising levels of air pollution worldwide, which entails an urgent call to action. 

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Beautiful Skies; A Pollution Disguise

We have all admired the beauty of sunsets and sunrises, which are natural phenomena that occur all around the world. The skies are stained with a variety of shades ranging from yellow to pink to purple, creating a picturesque landscape that signals the beginning or end of a day. 

But have you ever wondered why the color of our skies can differ so drastically across various locations? Well, air pollutants like nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter may have a role to play in altering the appearance and intensity of sunsets and sunrises. 

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Filtering out the dirt!

Recently, the Sterra Moon air purifier has been gaining a lot of attention on social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram. With various Gen Z influencers promoting the use of their air purifiers, the brand has certainly become the talk of the town when it comes to the issue of breathing clean and fresh air. According to their website, the product boasts the ability to kill 99.7% of bacteria and viruses while absorbing formaldehyde, an extremely toxic chemical commonly found in home appliances. 

However, are air purifiers really as effective as they claim to be? Do they really help to provide a clean and safe environment, especially indoors? This blog explores the efficacy of air purifiers in combating air pollution and filtering particulate matter based on scientific research. 

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