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DC Blog
Asked and Answered

Every Breath You Take

May 07, 2020

Talking with UNLV professor Antony Chen about Las Vegas' air pollution and its links to poverty and COVID-19

NPR
Coronavirus Live Updates
A crow flies near Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace in New Delhi, on April 2. Air quality has markedly improved in India's capital since the country's coronavirus lockdown began last month.

With Coronavirus Lockdown, India's Cities See Clear Blue Skies As Air Pollution Drops

Apr 10, 2020
India has ordered 1.3 billion people to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown seems to have inadvertently solved, at least temporarily, another public health crisis: air pollution.
NPR
Goats and Soda
People cover their faces with masks to avoid thick smog in New Delhi on Nov. 5. People living there have complained about respiratory problems.

As Delhi Chokes On Smog, India's Health Minister Advises: Eat More Carrots

Nov 08, 2019
Residents of one of the world's most polluted cities are getting fed up with government inaction — and a few questionable tweets aren't helping.
NPR
Animals
Flamingos flock to Mumbai between September and April, but this year there are almost three times more birds than the amount that usually flocks to the area.

More Flamingos Are Flocking to Mumbai Than Ever Before. The Reason Could be Sewage

Mar 31, 2019
There is an almost three-fold increase in the flamingo population in Mumbai, India. Rahul Khot, assistant director at the Bombay Natural History Society, tells NPR his speculations as to why.
KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

After 40 Years, Cleanup Set To Begin On Anaconda Mine

Mar 05, 2019

It's taken 40 years since the official shutdown of the former Anaconda Copper Mine near Yerington, Nev., but there will finally be shovels in the ground later this year.  

NPR
Asia
Thailand's Pollution Control Department declared air quality in the the Thai capital unhealthy, leading to the closure of 400 public schools through the end of the week.

Thai Officials Close Schools As Toxic Air Pollution Chokes Bangkok

Jan 30, 2019
Fine particulate matter floating through the murky haze that hangs over the city has reached harmful levels, leading the government to shutter more than 400 public schools.
KNPR
Newscast headlines

Utah, Feds Launch Study Of Pollution In Lake Powell

Nov 26, 2018

Utah and U.S. government officials will begin a study to determine the extent of mining pollution in Lake Powell. 

The study begins in the next few days, and it will involve the digging up of heavy metals washed into Lake Powell by flash flooding over several decades. 

NPR
The Salt
Microplastics are not just showing up on beaches like this one in the Canary Islands. They are showing up in human waste.

Microplastics Are Turning Up Everywhere, Even In Human Excrement

Oct 22, 2018
A very small study shows that microplastics are in human waste in many parts of the world. While it's not entirely clear what that means for our health, it might be a sign that we need to pull back.
NPR
The Salt
Manure lagoons on hog farms like this one in eastern North Carolina flooded after Hurricane Floyd swept through in 1999, creating environmental and health concerns for nearby rivers. Farmers are worried that the scenario will repeat after Hurricane Flore

Hog Farmers Scramble to Drain Waste Pools Ahead Of Hurricane Florence

Sep 11, 2018
Hurricane Florence is heading toward a part of North Carolina where pigs far outnumber people. Farmers and environmentalists are worried about the fate of hundreds of open-air manure lagoons.
KNPR
KNPR's State of Nevada

Trouble In The Las Vegas Air

Jun 28, 2018

Among the top-ten biggest population cent

NPR
Environment
According to data obtained from the state of Oklahoma, the amount of poultry litter (or waste) applied in the Illinois River Watershed has increased in recent years.

In Oklahoma, Critics Say Pruitt Stalled Pollution Case After Taking Industry Funds

May 02, 2018
When Scott Pruitt served as Oklahoma's attorney general, he took over a major pollution lawsuit brought by his predecessor. Critics accuse Pruitt of inaction on the case, which remains unresolved.
KNPR
Newscast headlines

Las Vegas Among The Worst For Air Quality

Apr 20, 2018

A new report shows Las Vegas is among the worst in the nation when it comes to air quality.

According to data from the American Lung Association, Las Vegas came in at number 12 out of 227 for high ozone.

NPR
Goats and Soda
Young volunteers shoveled trash out of a gutter. Sanitation workers later collected the garbage.

It's A Miracle: Teenagers Take Out The Trash

Feb 06, 2018
The trash was piling up in the gutter. A young man in Nigeria wanted to get local kids to help clean it up. His campaign has gone viral.
NPR
Parallels
A truck transports waste in Lebanon.

Environmentalists Warn Of Mediterranean Pollution From Lebanon Land Reclamation

Jan 11, 2018
A land reclamation project that uses vast amounts of garbage extends hundreds of feet into the sea. "We are fishing plastic," says a fisherman. The country has long struggled to manage its waste.
NPR
Goats and Soda
A woman wears a mask and filter as she walks to work during heavy pollution in Beijing, China.

Report: Pollution Kills 3 Times More than AIDS, TB And Malaria Combined

Oct 19, 2017
Researchers looked at the combined effects of air, water and soil pollution on global health to come up with an annual toll.
NPR
Goats and Soda
One of the stray dogs that turned blue hangs out on a street in the Taloja industrial zone in Mumbai.

What's Making These Dogs In Mumbai Turn Blue?

Aug 26, 2017
Five dogs with this unusual hue were found in an industrial area of Mumbai. The hunt for its cause revealed a much bigger problem.
NPR
Environment

Pollution Buildup At Conowingo Dam May Harm Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

Aug 22, 2017
A Maryland dam has been helping to clean up the Chesapeake Bay by holding back sediment that can harm aquatic life. But now the dam's sediment pools have filled up earlier than projected.
NPR
Environment
The beach at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation headquarters in Annapolis, Md. "You give nature half a chance and she will produce every single time," says Will Baker, the nonprofit's president.

Chesapeake Bay Dead Zones Are Fading, But Proposed EPA Cuts Threaten Success

Jun 28, 2017
After years of failed attempts at cleaning up the dead zones, the Chesapeake Bay, once a national disgrace, is teeming with wildlife again. But success is fragile, and it might be even more so now.
NPR
Goats and Soda
A boy from a tribe in Northern Kenya stands on a dried-up river bed.

#CuriousGoat: Ask Us About Climate Change And Global Well-being

Mar 17, 2017
What questions do you have about the toll that climate change is taking — and about possible solutions?
NPR
Environment
California is looking into ways to reduce the use of gas-powered lawn and gardening equipment because they will soon surpass cars as the biggest polluters in the state.

California Weighs Tougher Emissions Rules for Gas-Powered Garden Equipment

Feb 28, 2017
Gas-powered gardening equipment will soon surpass cars as the worst polluters in California. It is considering stronger emissions standards for small gas engines and incentives to switch to electric.
NPR
Environment
Some environmental justice advocates say California's cap-and-trade program hasn't done anything to clean up the air in low-income communities like Wilmington, where refineries are located near residential neighborhoods.

Environmental Groups Say California's Climate Program Has Not Helped Them

Feb 24, 2017
California's signature climate plan is under attack from environmental justice groups. Some say the cap-and-trade program hasn't done anything to clean up the air in low-income communities.
NPR
Commentary
Chinese men wearing masks walk on a bridge near a building shrouded by fog and pollution in Beijing on Jan. 5. China has long faced some of the worst air pollution in the world, blamed on its reliance of coal and older, less efficient cars. Inadequate co

In China, Pollution Fears Are Both Literal And Metaphorical

Jan 18, 2017
Fears of contagion shape politics in today's China. A protest by artists against smog was met with swift repression. That's because authorities fear a different kind of pollution: destabilizing ideas.
NPR
Goats and Soda
A smog alert day in Dalian, China. The photo was taken on December 19.

Read The Smog-Inspired Poem That China Can't Stop Talking About

Jan 12, 2017
It's written from the perspective of lung cancer. And it's striking a chord on social media.
NPR
The Two-Way
People wearing protective masks walk near the iconic headquarters of Chinese state broadcaster Central China Television in Beijing, which has been blanketed by heavy smog.

WATCH: Time-Lapse Video Shows Wall Of Smog In Beijing

Jan 03, 2017
The sky appears blue at the beginning of the 13-second video, then completely disappears from view in the haze of brown smog. Dozens of Chinese cities are currently under pollution alerts.
NPR
Parallels
NASA scientists measure air quality aboard one of NASA's three "flying air quality labs" over the Korean peninsula in April.

Korea's Air Is Dirty, But It's Not All Close-Neighbor China's Fault

Jun 03, 2016
South Korea likes to point the finger at China for its pollution woes, but that's not the whole story. New research is examining how much Korean smog is caused by neighbors and how much is home-grown.

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