By Robert Bradley Jr. — July 11, 2024
“Between 1970 and 2022, the combined emissions of the six common pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10, SO2, NOx, VOCs, CO and Pb) dropped by 78 percent. This progress occurred while U.S. economic indicators remain strong.” (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Our Nation’s Air Quality: Trends through 2022“)
Having failed to convince skeptics of climate alarm (the science is more settled toward the positives than the negatives of carbon dioxide [CO2]), and with no change in climate policy able to affect climate for decades (if ever), critics of fossil fuels turn to the known criteria air pollutants. The common refrain is that such emissions kill (five million annually), as if the sources of those emissions do not save lives—many more lives—by the minute of every day.
But the trend of each of the five criteria pollutants associated with consumer-driven, taxpayer-neutral energies is positive. And more improvement is predicted. The increasing sustainability of fossil fuels is a major theme of political economy, as it has been for decades. Fact: oil, natural gas, and coal are now environmental products, unlike a half century or more ago when air pollutants from mobile and stationary sources were largely uncontrolled.
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In the words of U.S. EPA, illustrated by the graph below, “Between 1970 and 2022, the combined emissions of the six common pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10, SO2, NOx, VOCs, CO and Pb) dropped by 78 percent. This progress occurred while U.S. economic indicators remain strong.”
Source: https://gispub.epa.gov/air/trendsreport/2023/#home
“Since 1970, implementation of the Clean Air Act and technological advances from American innovators have dramatically improved air quality in the U.S. Since that time, the combined emissions of criteria and precursor pollutants have dropped by 78%. Cleaner air provides important public health benefits, and we commend our state, local, community and industry partners for helping further long-term improvement in our air quality.
Nationally, concentrations of air pollutants have dropped significantly since 1990:
- Carbon Monoxide (CO) 8-Hour, 81%
- Lead (Pb) 3-Month Average, 88% (from 2010)
- Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Annual, 60%
- Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) 1-Hour, 54%
- Ozone (O3) 8-Hour, 22%
- Particulate Matter 10 microns (PM10) 24-Hour, 34%
- Particulate Matter 2.5 microns (PM2.5) Annual, 42% (from 2000)
- Particulate Matter 2.5 microns (PM2.5) 24-Hour, 42% (from 2000)
- Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) 1-Hour, 90%
- Numerous air toxics have declined with percentages varying by pollutant
Despite increases in air concentrations of pollutants associated with fires, carbon monoxide and particle pollution, national average air quality concentrations remain below the current, national standards.”
Final EPA statement: “Our Nation’s Air Continues to Improve … However, work must continue to ensure healthy air for all communities. EPA and our partners at the state, tribal and local levels will continue to work to address the complex air quality problems we face.” But sound science, not outlier studies, is needed to inform public policy in light of achievable technological change.
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“”critics of fossil fuels turn to the known criteria air pollutants””
And they’re 40 years too late. Up until the 1980s it was an alarmist’s total nightmare. Coal fires, gas fires, and paraffin heating; not to mention leaded pipes and leaded petrol. Back then they would have had a field day, but the air is so much better now than it was then. And there are a lot more vehicles on the road now.
Air pollution: London. Average concentrations of suspended particulate matter, measured in micrograms per cubic metre.
1950: 209 ug/m3
1960: 166
1970: 124
1980: 82
1990: 39
2000: 25
2010: 20
https://ourworldindata.org/london-air-pollution
Interestingly, the London Underground [or ‘tube’] doesn’t come close…
““A new report has outlined that passengers on the Northern line, Victoria line, Jubilee line and Bakerloo line are regularly being exposed to particulate matter levels above 200 microgram per cubic metre of air. The UK safe recommended limit is 25. “”
https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/questions-mayor/find-an-answer/particulate-pollution-underground
Some may wonder why the passengers are being subjected to this without a moments thought? Well, ideas like ULEZ and other traffic schemes make money. The tube would be an enormous expense cleaning it up. It is pretty old.
“”TfL is taking priority action to improve air quality on the Tube””
Don’t, er, hang on, do hold your breath – unless you’re above ground. At 20ug London’s air is in the safe zone.
air pollution? Millions of people still smoke cigarettes. I bet inhaling cigarette smoke is a million times worse than the air in London- but I see no effort to ban cigarettes
In the blue corner – the realists
In the red corner – the nanny statists
There was bill before parliament to ban nicotine products…
“”Smokefree generation one step closer as bill introduced
…children turning 15 this year or younger will never legally be able to be sold tobacco. “”
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/smokefree-generation-one-step-closer-as-bill-introduced
So you could have a 31 year old hassling a 32 year old to buy a packet of smokes.
But rest assured, I predict Nunu Labour will reintroduce the bill in some form.
Not so much ban them, but discouraging their use by skimming lots of money off the habit seems to be government’s modus operandi. I hear $8 is the average price for a pack of cigarettes in the U.S., and it’s about double that in at least one dem run city, NYC.
In the UK it’s ~13 or 14 quid for a packet of 20 (~$18 or so?)
The safest form is the most expensive. Rolling tobacco is far cheaper, but then potentially more harmful.
Who said government policies should make any sense?
Up to $15 per pack in Maryland.
In Hawaii in 2015 it was $11.50 per pack.
In Australia it is around AUS$60 apparently.
I used the Northern Line daily from East Finchley to Warren Street or Old Street and back for almost a decade in the 1980s. Still around. 🙂
And ironically those serious reductions in various particles and aerosols may be the main reason for the gradual warming of the last 40 years! Less solar energy is being reflected back to space due to a more transparent atmosphere, as well as fewer condensation nucleation sites to form clouds…
Of course, the PM2.5 scientific basis studies have been a trainwreck. They can track it, but they have not shown there is any impact whatsoever.
The PM2.5 argument is used here in Wokeachusetts to stop the burning of wood- not just in high tech woody biomass power plants, but also burning wood in homes- even in EPA approved stoves, which burn very cleanly, by comparison to older stoves. The idiot greens here won’t allow anyone to build a pellet plant in the state – despite the fact that pellet stoves are popular here, so the pellets come from the far north or far west.
What happened in the UK is that the government committee (COMEAP) in 2009 simply accepted the WHO’s line, that “all PM2.5 is equal” in toxicity, and the relative risk factor is a lot higher than seen in very many air pollution studies. The first of these is false, because historically all the seriously damaging air pollution events have required both PM2.5 and sulphates to be present in quantity. And the second is highly dubious.
Billions of dollars spent on environmental controls have been stranded from the shutdown of coal plants. Money down the drain.
–Story Tip — Worlds Biggest Vacuum Cleaner
The big machine in Iceland and will soon start pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere
coldest summer since 2000
Not global…
Whilst the UK and north west Europe have been stuck with colder weather, Southern Europe has been experiencing heatwaves and even wildfires on some Greek islands.
https://apple.news/A2TJR1Q0iQtalfSYBnSnRKg
Where’s ItsUsername?
Why? It’s about climate, not energy? Or did you miss me?
But now that you mentioned Greece
Greece hit record high green energy output last year
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/greece-hit-record-high-green-energy-output-last-year-2024-01-30/
coldest summer since 2000
In a warming world that isn’t possible
Ok, renewables still great 😀
You’ve been busted, pal.
So you agree with Strat that the coldest summer since 2000 isn’t possible in a warming world
Great, well done.
Now if you could only see sense on unreliable wind and solar you’d have joined the thinking crowd
One step at a time….
Renewables still only a small percentage.
Most energy in Greece is from FOSSIL FUELS.
So there you go again introducing FACTS when all you have to do is believe.
So, are you putting forward the hypothesis that more green energy causes heatwaves and wildfires? If so, where is your evidence for that claim? If not, what is your hypothesis?
Amusingly, when they claim “wildfires” in Greece or Italy, it is nothing but a low burning grass fire. Nothing like what we experience in Australia or North America.
Greece’s energy use is overwhelmingly FOSSIL FUELS.
Par for the course for Mediterranean climate. I was there last July and the carry-on about 43C was laughable. Mind you, similar bleating in the UK and it was only 25C! Winter daytime temperatures in Queensland Australia.
Interesting morning read, especially for me with the haze hanging in the local air===>
https://www.nbcmontana.com/weather/wildfires/horse-gulch-fire-outside-helena-grows-to-2000-acres
With the current dry heat and the fuel load this thing will likely burn till the first snow.. It’s interesting
that the same Greens pushing “climate change” are the main legal plaintiffs involved with forest
management operations. Very sad since one of the pilots working this fire was killed…The
forests here in the Northern Rockies are prime for these type of incidents due to poor
management, heavy fuel loads ect.
” ect. ”
Includes more people out and about for longer and doing more things with gadgets more apt to be the spark for a fire. [Fire: fuel, oxygen, source of ignition] Also invasive grasses, such as cheat and medusahead.
I have personally experienced the improvement. When I was 6 the pollution from the Hearn generator created pea soup thick smog in Scarborough. Gone now, and I can’t remember there being such pollution since, unless or u til someone drives by in a 60s car (what a stink).
I’ve experienced it as well. Los Angeles in the early ’80s was bad. I moved to the East Coast in 1984, where I met the love of my life. When I went to bring her back in 1990, I warned her the ground was gray (concrete) and the skies were brown with very limited visibility. I was shocked when we got off the plane: there were mountains to the north and east of the city! Visible from the ground! Well, I warned her this would be a short-lived anomaly – enjoy it while it lasted. That anomaly lasted until we left California seven years ago.
Having that success, the EPA then decided to expand its authority to other matters. Thus, the very requirement for all life on Earth was declared a pollutant as well. That’s what I call weird science.
Translation: Standards are not really standards in government bureaucracy. Purity is the standard.
I travelled in the London underground in the 1950’s and your collar and nose got blackened by a single journey !