air quality News

East Africa’s Electric Motorbikes Are Fueling a Carbon-Free Future

When Rwanda’s president said last August that he wanted all of the country’s motorbikes to be electric as soon as possible, Ampersand’s waiting list exploded. The country’s first electric motorbike company now has about 7,000 drivers in line for its …

Volkswagen Loses Top Court Case in EU in Diesel Scandal

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s top court ruled on Thursday that Volkswagen breached the law by installing on its cars a so-called defeat device to cheat on emission tests and cannot argue it was merely protecting car engines. The …

Wildfires Receding Give Globe Rare Bit of Positive Climate Data

The dystopian images of wildfires ravaging vast swathes of woodland around the globe belie a rare positive signal for the Earth’s climate — the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by burning forests actually fell in 2020. That’s the conclusion of …

Extreme Wildfires Turn Smoke Apps Into the New Weather Apps

For weeks, smoke has blanketed the west coast. The Bay Area has seen a vast improvement in the past few days, but terrible air lingers in Portland and Seattle. Millions of people have been furiously checking the air quality ratings …

Seeping Under Doors, Bad Air From West’s Fires Won’t Ease Up

PORTLAND, Ore. — Dangerously dirty air spewing from the West Coast wildfires is seeping into homes and businesses, sneaking into cars through air conditioning vents and preventing people already shut away by the coronavirus pandemic from enjoying a walk or …

California Firefighters Battle Wildfires in Extreme Heat

LOS ANGELES — California firefighters battled destructive wildfires Monday as a lengthening heat wave roasted the state. Thousands of homes were at risk and air quality deteriorated in areas affected by smoke. The National Weather Service blanketed the state in …

California Crews Scramble to Douse Blazes From Fireworks

SAN FRANCISCO — Firefighters scrambled to douse grass and structure fires sparked by illegal Fourth of July fireworks across California. The city of San Francisco saw at least 100 fires between 3 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Saturday, the San Francisco …

These Houston Residents Dream of Moving to Where the Air is Clear

HOUSTON — On the east side of Houston, the white plumes of the Texas oil and chemical refineries are a constant backdrop for residents of the Manchester neighborhood. Late at night or early in the morning when plants burn off …

Deadly Los Angeles Wildfire Burns With Subdued Fury After Change in Weather

Firefighters have tightened their grip on a deadly Los Angeles wildfire burning with subdued fury on Sunday after extremely dry desert winds that had stoked the flames gave way to moister, gentler breezes blowing in from the Pacific. The so-called …

Severe Beijing Smog Prompts Unusual Transparency

One of Beijing’s worst rounds of air pollution kept schoolchildren indoors and sent coughing residents to hospitals Monday, but this time something was different about the murky haze: the government’s transparency in talking about it. While welcomed by residents and …