Thick smog is blanketing New Delhi after Diwali celebrations with fireworks sent air pollution levels soaring. Revelers burst firecrackers late into Monday night, filling the air with smoke and fine particles. By Tuesday morning, air quality in several neighborhoods ranked as severe. Last week, India's top court eased a ban on firecrackers, allowing limited use of "green firecrackers" that emit fewer pollutants. Pollution spikes due to firecrackers are common after Diwali, which coincides with cooler weather and crop residue fires. New Delhi and its metropolitan region — home to more than 30 million people — routinely ranks among the world's most polluted cities during winter.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires has carried another day of poor air quality south of the border to the American Midwest. Conditions in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan were rated "very unhealthy" on Tuesday. The smell of smoke hung over the Minneapolis-St. Paul area on Tuesday morning. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an alert for almost the entire state into Wednesday. Canada is having another bad wildfire season, and more than 27,000 people in three provinces have been forced to evacuate. The smoke is even reaching Europe, where it is causing hazy skies but isn't expected to affect surface-air quality,
A new study out in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment finds that wildfires fueled by climate change are linked to as many as thousands of annual deaths and billions of dollars in economic burden. The research shows that from 2006 to 2020, fires made worse by climate change contributed to about 15,000 U.S. deaths due to exposure to tiny particles, which are linked to serious health issues. The total cost of these deaths was an estimated $160 billion, researchers found, and states with the highest yearly deaths included California, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and Washington. Scientists said the study showcases the far-reaching impacts of climate-fueled wildfires.
The U.S. government's decision to stop sharing air quality data from embassies and consulates worldwide has worried some local scientists and experts who say the data was vital for people to be aware of air quality and monitor their government's progress in improving public health. Historical data will remain on an Environmental Protection Agency site, but live data will stay down unless funding is restored. The change prompted immediate reaction from scientists who said the data were reliable, allowed for air quality monitoring around the world and helped prompt governments to clean up the air. The fiscal cut is one of many under President Donald Trump, whose administration has been deprioritizing environmental and climate initiatives.
As crews work to clean up from the Los Angeles wildfires, city officials and residents are opposing the designation of a federally owned park to process hazardous waste. The Environmental Protection Agency is using Lario Park in the San Gabriel Valley to temporarily separate, package and transport potentially hazardous materials from the Eaton Fire in Altadena. That includes items such as paints, pesticides and lithium-ion batteries from electric cars and other electronics. Locals worry about dangerous waste that could pollute the air and soil or seep into groundwater and they are furious they were not notified in advance.
