What will air pollution be like in the future

If solved, it can enable truly distributed…. If solved, it can enable truly distributed solar energy as well as accelerate the electrification of the…. If solved, it can enable truly distributed solar energy as well as accelerate the electrification of the transport industry. After years of rising prices and increasing demand,…. Increasing competition between cities overrides national boundaries and drives change. They compete to attract the best but also collaborate to….

They compete to attract the best but also collaborate to avoid the downside of success — over-crowding, under-resourcing and pollution. Global trade and power is generally defined between governments at…. As the public voice becomes easier to access and harder…. As the public voice becomes easier to access and harder to suppress, leaders seek to engage to create, develop, secure….

As the public voice becomes easier to access and harder to suppress, leaders seek to engage to create, develop, secure and maintain legitimacy for their initiatives and policies — so…. As the public voice becomes easier to access and harder to suppress, leaders seek to engage to create, develop, secure and maintain legitimacy for their initiatives and policies — so further reducing their hierarchical power.

Every since homo sapiens first…. Email address:. Air Quality. Agelessness Previous Autonomous Vehicles Next. Air Quality Rising air pollution in many cities is killing people and becomes a visible catalyst for changing mind-sets and policies across health, energy, transportation and urban design. Previous Next. From The World In Related Foresights. Foresight Deeper Collaboration Deeper Collaboration Partnerships shift to become more dynamic, long-term, democratised, multi-party collaborations.

Competitor alliances and wider public participation drive regulators to create… Partnerships shift to become more dynamic, long-term, democratised, multi-party collaborations. Given the challenges… Partnerships shift to become more dynamic, long-term, democratised, multi-party collaborations.

Given the challenges we are facing, many see the need for a different… Read more. In that future, write Figueres and Rivett-Carnac, city streets will have more trees and fewer cars and Americans can travel via high-speed electric railroads. Instead of fossil fuels, countries will rely on things like renewable energy wind, solar, geothermal and hydro , according to the book, while artificial intelligence in machines and appliances will make them more energy efficient.

The air will be "cleaner than it has been since before the Industrial Revolution," the co-authors write. By and large, people in this future won't eat meat or dairy, according to the book. In fact, "[m]ost young children [will not] believe we used to kill any animals for food," they write. Though Mann cautions that implying the onus is on citizens to give up hamburgers rather than on polluters is "unhelpful.

People will eat locally sourced produce from community farms rather than shopping at large grocery stores, where everything must be shipped far distances to arrive on shelves, write Figueres and Rivett-Carnac. The dichotomy between Figueres and Rivett-Carnac's versions of is stark, and that is the point. Paris climate accord leaders: What we do between now and will impact life for hundreds of years.

Inside a lab where scientists recreate the energy of the sun to make nearly unlimited clean energy. Today, pollution levels in many areas of the United States exceed national air quality standards for at least one of the six common pollutants:.

EPA has designated areas meeting and not meeting the air quality standards for the and PM standards and the ozone standard, and has completed an initial round of area designations for the sulfur dioxide standard. The agency also issues rules or guidance for state implementation of the various ambient air quality standards — for example, in March , proposing requirements for implementation of current and future fine particle standards.

EPA is working with states to improve data to support implementation of the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide standards. EPA determined in that emissions of carbon dioxide and other long-lived greenhouse gases that build up in the atmosphere endanger the health and welfare of current and future generations by causing climate change and ocean acidification.

Long-lived greenhouse gases , which trap heat in the atmosphere, include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. These gases are produced by a numerous and diverse human activities. The risks to public health and the environment from climate change are substantial and far-reaching. Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas pollution leads to more frequent and intense heat waves that increase mortality, especially among the poor and elderly.

Other effects of greenhouse gas pollution noted in the scientific literature include ocean acidification, sea level rise and increased storm surge, harm to agriculture and forests, species extinctions and ecosystem damage.

The U. Those most vulnerable to climate related health effects - such as children, the elderly, the poor, and future generations - face disproportionate risks. Studies also find that climate change poses particular threats to the health, well-being, and ways of life of indigenous peoples in the U. The National Research Council NRC and other scientific bodies have emphasized that it is important to take initial steps to reduce greenhouse gases without delay because, once emitted, greenhouse gases persist in the atmosphere for long time periods.

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA is taking initial common sense steps to limit greenhouse gas pollution from large sources:. EPA and the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration between and issued the first national greenhouse gas emission standards and fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks for model years , and for medium- and heavy-duty trucks for Proposed truck standards for and beyond were announced in June EPA is also responsible for developing and implementing regulations to ensure that transportation fuel sold in the United States contains a minimum volume of renewable fuel.

Learn more about clean vehicles. EPA and states in began requiring preconstruction permits that limit greenhouse gas emissions from large new stationary sources - such as power plants, refineries, cement plants, and steel mills - when they are built or undergo major modification.

Learn more about GHG permitting. This partnership is laid out in the Clean Power Plan. EPA firmly believes the Clean Power Plan will be upheld when the merits are considered because the rule rests on strong scientific and legal foundations. In January EPA announced a new goal to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40 — 45 percent from levels by , and a set of actions by EPA and other agencies to put the U.

In August , EPA proposed new common-sense measures to cut methane emissions, reduce smog-forming air pollution and provide certainty for industry through proposed rules for the oil and gas industry. The agency also proposed to further reduce emissions of methane-rich gas from municipal solid waste landfills.

EPA in July finalized a rule to prohibit certain uses of hydrofluorocarbons -- a class of potent greenhouse gases used in air conditioning, refrigeration and other equipment -- in favor of safer alternatives. While overall emissions of air toxics have declined significantly since , substantial quantities of toxic pollutants continue to be released into the air. Elevated risks can occur in urban areas, near industrial facilities, and in areas with high transportation emissions. Hazardous air pollutants, also called air toxics, include pollutants listed in the Clean Air Act.

EPA can add pollutants that are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, such as reproductive effects or birth defects, or to cause adverse environmental effects. Examples of air toxics include benzene, which is found in gasoline; perchloroethylene, which is emitted from some dry cleaning facilities; and methylene chloride, which is used as a solvent and paint stripper by a number of industries.

Other examples of air toxics include dioxin, asbestos, and metals such as cadmium, mercury, chromium, and lead compounds. Numerous categories of stationary sources emit air toxics, including power plants, chemical manufacturing, aerospace manufacturing and steel mills.

Some air toxics are released in large amounts from natural sources such as forest fires.