In a draft report released Thursday, the U.S. EPA said smog levels could increase significantly in many areas of the United States due to climate change, especially in the Northeast, lower Midwest, and mid-Atlantic regions. Smog is mainly a summer phenomenon in most places, caused by sunlight reacting with nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. However, climate change could expand the smog season into spring and fall as well. Climate change could cause more smoggy days and increased smog levels by prompting plants to release more VOCs and by increasing the frequency of lightning storms, which are natural sources of nitrogen oxides. "These findings also indicate, that, where climate-change-induced increases in [smog] do occur, damaging effects on ecosystems, agriculture, and health will be especially pronounced, due to increases in the frequency of extreme pollution events," the analysis said.
source: Associated Press, Reuters
EU pushes China further after pledge to slow carbon intensity
Comments
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Delay And Deny Posted 3:26 am
11 Jul 2008
I live in Kent.
It's real close to Seatac Airport.
And several major highways.
And a lot of people drive.
Today's air quality?
Great: http://www.pscleanair.org/airq/pmtrend/default.aspx?area= ...
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christophersj Posted 4:21 am
11 Jul 2008
The more we clean up sooty particulate pollution, the more global warming comes to reveal itself, all other factors being equal. But of course we have to mitigate both.
There is an excellent PBS NOVA episode about this. It was not a popular episode and is only available via WGBH if you say you are an "educator". The episode title is "Dimming the Sun".
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christophersj Posted 4:23 am
11 Jul 2008
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wendigo Posted 4:27 am
11 Jul 2008
A good source for air quality readings for every metro area in the country is the EPA AirNow site:
http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.fcsummary
This time of year, Houston is usually the worst, but fires are hitting California and North Carolina air quality hard at the moment.
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Delay And Deny Posted 4:31 am
11 Jul 2008
The higher temperatures will allow the smog to rise higher and waft over the mountains.
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PBrazelton Posted 4:57 am
11 Jul 2008
Smog is created by heat, not ameliorated by it, and if you had ever been to LA in the middle of summer, you wouldn't say such patently homicidal nonsense about southern California thriving in higher temperatures. If LA gets any hotter, the smog will be the least of people's worries.
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