Una nube de pirocumulonimbos sobre el Parque Nacional Alpino, Australia, durante el “Verano Negro” de 2019-2020. Foto por Merrin Macleod, Wikimedia Commons
Después de los incendios forestales del “Verano Negro” de 2019-2020 en Australia, las medidas satelitales mostraron una disminución en la capa de ozono estratosférico. Durante este tiempo, los científicos relacionaron la disminución del ozono al humo de los incendios que penetraron la estratosfera. Sin embargo, el rol de las partículas de humo en la química del ozono aún no estaba claro. En un artículo publicado en Nature, Susan Solomon y sus colegas muestran que si las partículas de humo, que contienen materia orgánica oxigenada y agua, son líquidas en la estratosfera, son capaces de absorber gas HCl y acomodar reacciones químicas con otros gases del “depósito de cloro” como ClONO2 y HOCl. De esta manera, pueden provocar el agotamiento del ozono de manera muy similar a otras partículas estratosféricas. A medida que los incendios forestales grandes se vuelven más comunes como resultado del cambio climático, este fenómeno puede retrasar la recuperación del “agujero de ozono” estratosférico.
All We Can Save is an anthology of writings about the climate crisis by 60 women, centered on “Truth, Courage, and Solutions.” Edited by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katherine K. Wilkinson, the anthology covers many aspects of climate action, activism, policy, history and more, from a viewpoint grounded in feminism. As a whole, the collection conveys a refreshing message of realism, compassion, cooperation, and hope.
The All We Can Save project, also co-founded by Dr. Johnson and Dr. Wilkinson, offers additional resources for educators, for building community, on working with climate emotions, and for workplace climate action.
We recently participated in a high school climate event organized in the spirit of All We Can Save. Students and faculty read the anthology and gathered for a day of discussion and activities. We joined alongside presentations from climate activists, artists, experts in building science, the fashion and food industries, climate medicine, and more. Our contribution was a presentation and demonstration on climate science basics, renewable energy, and climate engineering.
– A strong, clear message: “The American Chemical Society (ACS) acknowledges that climate change is real, is serious and has been influenced by anthropogenic activity.”
– Recommendations for how U.S. Government may take leadership in efforts to combat climate change
– Links to valuable resources from, for example, the National Academies, the US Global Climate Change Resource Program, and the IPCC
Presidente Trump ha prohibido a los empleados de la Agencia de Protección Ambiental (EPA) comunicarse con el público. También exige que la Agencia elimine toda la información sobre el clima y el cambio climático de su sitio web.
Ud. tiene el derecho de saber:
– Información sobre el medio ambiente y cómo afecta su salud
– Información sobre el cambio climático
– Los resultados de las investigaciónes que se financian con los dólares de sus impuestos
Científicos y ambientalistas estan trabajando para preservar al contenido del sitio web de la EPA. Ud. puede acceder a todo el sitio de la EPA en español entero, incluyendo el material sobre el clima, a través del Internet Archive, aquí:
V. Faye McNeill, Beijing, China, December 21, 2016
Haze over central Beijing, 12/20/2016. Photo credit: V. F. McNeill
Much of China, including the capital city, Beijing, is experiencing sustained heavy smog this week, with air pollution at hazardous levels for the past three days. Concentrations of fine particulate matter in Beijing’s air today exceeded 400 ug/m3, more than ten times China’s National Ambient Air Quality Standard (35 ug/m3). The episode has caused an increase in hospitalizations and disruptions in air traffic due to poor visibility. The government has declared a “red alert” and taken emergency measures including industrial shutdowns, odd-even traffic restrictions, and school cancellations to protect public health.
“I love Beijing. I grew up here and spent my whole life here. If it weren’t for the air pollution, I would love living here. But now I think about leaving. Many people are leaving.”
Reduced visibility at Beijing’s airport. 12/20/2016 Photo credit: V.F. McNeill
Air quality is an ongoing issue in Beijing, and a major subject of concern for its residents. As one Beijing native told me: “I love Beijing. I grew up here and spent my whole life here. If it weren’t for the air pollution, I would love living here. But now I think about leaving. Many people are leaving.” According to the U.S. Embassy, between 2008-2015, the daily average air quality index in Beijing fell in the “Unhealthy,” “Very Unhealthy,” or “Hazardous” categories 67% of the time. A severe air quality episode in January 2013 was somewhat of a turning point, leading to increased pressure on the government to tighten regulations. One outcome was the amendment of the national ambient air quality standards. Meeting the new standards for PM2.5 would be a major step towards protecting public health. But, as episodes like this one show, improvement is slow to come. Plans for local implementation and enforcement of the new air quality standards are still in the development stages. In some cases major changes in infrastructure are needed in order to reduce emissions, and this can take time. Local efforts alone won’t be enough: The city of Beijing has made bold moves towards eliminating coal burning within the city, but much of Beijing’s pollution comes from upwind sources, outside the city limits.
With the will of government and the people aligned, China is poised to turn around its air pollution problem. Unlike the U.S., which greatly improved its air quality in the last century and now must tackle climate, China is in a position to develop smart new policies and technology to improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions simultaneously.
Moms Clean Air Force is an organization of families fighting against environmental pollution. Their website is full of excellent resources, with information on such topics as indoor air pollution, fracking, smog, and more. Our favorite feature is the “mom detective.” They have a very active and interesting twitter feed at @CleanAirMoms. Moms Clean Air Force is sponsored by the Environmental Defense Fund.
Moms Clean Air Force es una comunidad de familias unidas contra la contaminación del medio ambiente. Su sito del web (enlace por debajo) es muy informativo y interesante, con muchos recursos en español sobre temas incluso: contaminación del aire en interiores, la fractura hidráulica (fracking), y el smog. Siguelos por twitter: @mamasairelimpio
Moms Clean Air Force es un proyecto del Environmental Defense Fund.
Haga click aquí para ver esta publicada en Español
Next week (Oct. 12-14) is Earth Sciences Week. This is a great opportunity to get to know the educational programs offered by NASA. Our favorite is “S’COOL.” In this program, you learn about the different types of clouds, and you can make observations of the clouds in your area, record them, and report them back to NASA. By doing this, you can help NASA validate the performance of the CERES satellite. This satellite observes the same clouds you see from the ground, but from space!
