Air pollution

KUALA LUMPUR: Air pollution caused tens of thousands of deaths in the world's five most populous cities last year despite coronavirus lockdowns, researchers said on Thursday, urging governments to ditch fossil fuels and invest in a green recovery. Environmental campaign group Greenpeace Southeast Asia and air quality technology company IQAir measured pollution levels across 28 cities - chosen according to where data was available and with a geographical spread. In the five most-populated cities - Delhi, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo - air pollution caused about 160,000 deaths and economic losses totalling about $85 billion. "A few months of lockdown hasn't really dented that long-term average of air pollution that people have been exposed to," said Aidan Farrow, an air pollution scientist at Greenpeace Research Laboratories at Britain's University of Exeter. "It is a little shocking to see how much upheaval there has been - and we still have work to do to … [Read more...] about Air pollution kills thousands in megacities despite COVID lockdowns

Video Player Close BEIJING, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- China has announced new targets for tackling air pollution over the next five years, an environmental official said Thursday. The country vowed to reduce the average PM2.5 density by 10 percent in 337 major cities between 2021 and 2025 compared with that of the previous five years, said Liu Bingjiang, an official with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, at a press conference. The 337 cities should also reach the new target of enjoying good-quality air for 87.5 percent of the period, Liu said. Liu said that China has achieved the goals of its three-year action plan released in 2018, with days with good air accounting for 87 percent of 2020 in 337 major cities. Cities that failed to meet the national standards for average PM2.5 density saw the indicator decline by 28.8 percent last year from the 2015 level. To further mitigate air pollution, the ministry will prioritize cutting vehicle emissions amid its … [Read more...] about China sets new air-quality targets for next five years

For Quick Alerts Subscribe Now India - 11,046,914 | World - 113,083,709 View Sample For Quick Alerts ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS For Daily Alerts #Delhi Delhi to make negative Covid RT-PCR test report must for arrivals from 5 states #Delhi Dense fog reels Delhi; AQI remains 'very poor' #Delhi SKM condemns arrest of Disha in toolkit case, demands her immediate release #Delhi Rohtak firing: Delhi Police arrests main accused carrying bounty worth Rs 1 lakh #Delhi Was Rinku Sharma killed for collecting donation for Ram Temple? #Delhi Nursery admissions in Delhi to begin from February 18 Just In 45 min ago US Speaker calls for multi-generational effort to confront institutional racism 47 min ago President's Rule imposed in Puducherry 1 hr ago From flashy diamantaire to fugitive: Nirav Modi's long road to extradition in PNB scam … [Read more...] about Delhi govt to switch its fleet of cars for electric vehicles within 6 months: Sisodia

Delhi government on Thursday announced that it will switch its entire fleet of hired cars for electric vehicles within six months. The government, which has over 2,000 cars in its fleet, said it hopes its decision will inspire other cities in the country and the world to tackle the issues of pollution and climate change with the urgency they deserve. The announcement came a day after the Aam Aadmi Party-led government launched a campaign, ' Switch Delhi ', to encourage private vehicle owners to take a pledge to shift to electric vehicles and install a charging point within their premises in the next three years. "It's history! Driven by the vision of CM @ArvindKejriwal to make Delhi the 'Electric Vehicle capital', Delhi govt today became the 1st in the world, not just India, to mandate its entire hired car fleet to switch to electric WITHIN a deadline- 6 mths. @SwitchDelhi begins at home," Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia tweeted. "Over 2,000 cars will be impacted … [Read more...] about Delhi govt to switch its fleet of cars for electric vehicles within 6 months: Manish Sisodia

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) managing director Mangu Singh on Thursday flagged off e-rickshaw services of ETO Motors from Jamia Millia Islamia Metro station to provide first and last-mile connectivity to commuters. ETO Motors is an electric mobility solutions and services company, which is into large-scale deployment of multi-brand shared electric diverse fleet for the first mile, last mile, and intra-city operations. As part of its EV policy, the Delhi Government aims to register at least 5 lakh electric vehicles by 2024 in order to reduce air pollution in the national capital region. For last-mile connectivity, it aims to induct 35,000 electric two, three, four-wheelers and buses along with 1,000 electric vehicles and 250 public charging and battery swapping stations. It has also waived road tax and registration fees for all battery electric vehicles for the next three years. “We need smart green solutions for mobility to check the menace of air … [Read more...] about DMRC flags off ETO e-rickshaw fleet for last-mile connectivity