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in brief Carbon tax should fund free public transport, say researchers The research team examined household expenditure data on home energy and motor fuel from 275,614 households across 27 European countries. They then examined the impact of introducing two different compensation strategies to mitigate the impact of new carbon taxes on low-income households. Carbon taxes on home energy and motor fuel often place a greater burden on low-income households because the same tax rate is applied to every taxpayer, regardless of income. The researchers found that giving cashback through tax rebates, without bringing in additional low carbon investments such as renewable electricity or public transport, would result in only small reductions in home energy and motor fuel emissions. Commuters exposed to ‘extreme air pollution’ on train Westminster, Birmingham and Oxfordshire County Council have written to Chris Heaton-Harris, a transport minister, and Edward Argar, a health minister, requesting that Chiltern Railways be asked to switch to alternative fuels to cut emissions. According to an air quality monitoring station on Boston Place, outside Marylebone Station, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels peaked at 81 µg m-3. The World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline level is 10 µg m-3. Particulate matter (PM2.5) peaked at 40 µg m-3, where the WHO’s guideline level is just 5 µg m-3. Ozone pollution in India increased during lockdown To get a clearer picture of air pollution in India, researchers at the University of York looked at nitrogen oxide (NOx), particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) pollution. They used hourly data from air quality monitoring stations and compared this data to the same dates from the previous three years to evaluate changes due to lockdown. When taking observational data into account, the researchers found that NOx and PM2.5 fell up to 57% and 75% respectively. But when meteorology was factored in, those percentages fell to less than 8% for PM2.5 and between 5 and 30% in both cities, while O3 increased. 6
Delhi records record-high air pollution November saw record levels of air pollution in Delhi, India.
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he daily average particulate matter (PM2.5) measurement was 410.5ug/m3, according to data analysed by Air Quality News from the RealTime Air Quality Index in Pusa, Delhi. Anything over 300ug/m3 is considered hazardous, meaning everyone may experience more serious health effects Experts have attributed these record pollution levels to the
shifting of the stubble burning period by around a week due to a prolonged monsoon season and the use of fireworks during Diwali. As a result of the air pollution, schools and colleges closed for over a week, government offices were asked to operate from home and private businesses were advised to work-from-home as much as possible. The government also banned
the use of diesel trucks for non-essential goods and shut down five coal power stations on Delhi’s outskirts. The Delhi government also hired an extra 700 CNG buses to encourage people to use public transport. And a ban on construction has been reimposed to curb dust, a major source of pollution. Dipankar Saha, former head of the CPCB’s air laboratory told Outlook India: ‘The emission sources for any defined area more or less remain the same throughout the year. ‘However, the concentration varies with the season. November being the transition phase, the air quality in northern India is always problematic because of lowering of the atmospheric boundary layer, wind speed, temperature and local action plan’s implementation.’
Portsmouth CAZ is now live The Portsmouth CAZ is a class B zone meaning that buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles and heavy goods vehicles that do not meet the euro 6 or euro 4 standards will be charged to enter the zone.
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rivers of ‘noncompliant’ vehicles will be charged £10 a day to drive through the zone, and coaches and heavy goods vehicles will pay £50 a day. There are some specific vehicle exemptions, including for emergency service and military vehicles. You can check if you’ll be charged on the government webpage: https://www.gov.uk/ clean-air-zones Drivers of private vans, cars and motorcycles will not be charged, no matter how old the vehicle is. Last Friday, the air quality improvement team held an Air Quality Improvement Showcase, attended by representatives from First Bus, Stagecoach and Pedal Portsmouth. Cllr Dave Ashmore, Cabinet
Member for Community Safety & Environment, said: ‘Today is the day the clean air zone launches, but we should be speaking about air quality every day. There are so many ways we can all make a difference to the air quality in our city. It might be using public transport more, ditching the second car and joining a car club, making your next vehicle electric, or walking,
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catching the bus or renting an e-scooter for your next short journey. ‘As a council we’re working on creating the best possible conditions for these changes, from installing on-street electric car charging points and bicycle parking to extending the rental e-scooter trial and prioritising walking and cycling routes for residents.’
