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This is a service of the California Air Resources Board’s Office
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individual websites to view some of the following news articles.


AIR POLLUTION

American Lung Association Study Ranks LA-Long Beach Metro Area
Worst in the Nation for Ozone Pollution.  
The Los Angeles-Long Beach metropolitan area has the worst ozone
pollution in the country, according to the  American Lung
Association’s (ALA) 16th annual State of the Air 2015 report,
released Wednesday. The report has ranked the Los Angeles-Long
Beach region last in the nation for ozone pollution in all 16 of
their State of the Air reports, although the metropolitan area
reported its lowest average year-round particles and fewest high
ozone days in the report’s history. 
https://lbpost.com/news/2000005986-american-lung-association-releases-2015-state-of-the-air-report


Report ranks county No. 1 in ozone pollution.  
San Bernardino County generally has middling air quality by
nationwide rankings, but falls among the top 20 in impacts to
at-risk groups, according to a report released this week. The
American Lung Association's "State of the Air 2015" report, which
features data from 2011-13, lumps in the High Desert with other
areas of the county, so local conditions can not be
distinguished.
http://www.vvdailypress.com/article/20150430/NEWS/150439985/12982/NEWS


California Cities Lead Worst Air Pollution List.  
California cities rank at the top of the list of the areas with
the worst air pollution, according to the American Lung
Association's "State of the Air" report for 2015. Los
Angeles-Long Beach ranked first on the list of highest pollution
by ozone, while Fresno-Madera ranked at the top of the list by
year round particle pollution and short-term particle pollution.

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2015/04/california-cities-lead-most-polluted-list.aspx


CLIMATE CHANGE

Limiting global warming to 2 degrees 'inadequate', scientists
say.  
Holding global warming to a 2-degree Celsius temperature rise –
the cornerstone of an expected new global climate agreement in
December – will fail to prevent many of climate change's worst
impacts, a group of scientists and other experts warned Friday.
With a 2-degree temperature hike, small islands in the Pacific
may become uninhabitable, weather-related disasters will become
more frequent, workers in many parts of the world will face
sweltering conditions and large numbers of people will be
displaced, particularly in coastal cities, the experts warned.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/01/us-climatechange-temperature-idUSKBN0NM40820150501


Europe calls for tougher limits on super greenhouse gases.  
The European Commission on Thursday called for a tougher U.N.
Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer by curbing super
greenhouse gases known as HFCs, that have a global warming
potential thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide. The
European Union has already introduced its own law to curb
climate-harming hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), also called "F-gases",
used in fridges and air conditioners.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/01/us-eu-carbon-climatechange-idUSKBN0NL27820150501


Study Finds Global Warming as Threat to 1 in 6 Species.  
Climate change could drive to extinction as many as one in six
animal and plant species, according to a new analysis. In a study
published Thursday in the journal Science, Mark Urban, an
ecologist at the University of Connecticut, also found that as
the planet warms in the future, species will disappear at an
accelerating rate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/science/new-estimates-for-extinctions-global-warming-could-cause.html


Poll: Millennials are no more convinced about global warming than
their parents.  
On Wednesday, the Harvard Institute of Politics released its
latest poll on the political views of millennials. It surveyed
more than 3,000 young Americans aged 18 to 29 — and the inquiry
produced a striking data point when it comes to climate change.
The poll asked a question about on the subject based on prior CNN
polling questions that have used the same wording. “Which of the
following statements comes closest to your view of global
warming?” respondents were asked.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/04/30/poll-millennials-are-no-more-convinced-about-global-warming-than-their-parents/


Elkhorn Slough Foundation gets $3M grant for research,
restoration.  
A salt marsh restoration project just got peppered with a huge
infusion of money. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife
awarded a $3 million grant to the Elkhorn Slough Foundation to
fund its Blue Carbon project, a marsh restoration that includes a
study of how well the marsh protects the environment from harmful
carbon dioxide.
http://www.montereyherald.com/environment-and-nature/20150430/elkhorn-slough-foundation-gets-3m-grant-for-research-restoration


FUELS

Obama unlikely to unveil Keystone move during Canada election:
sources.  
U.S. President Barack Obama is unlikely to deliver his verdict on
TransCanada Corp's Keystone XL pipeline between mid-June and
mid-October for fear of being seen as interfering in Canada's
upcoming election, said three Ottawa-based sources familiar with
the matter.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/30/us-keystone-canada-timing-idUSKBN0NL28L20150430?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews


GREEN ENERGY

Why Tesla’s announcement is such a big deal: The coming
revolution in energy storage.  
Late Thursday, the glitzy electric car company Tesla Motors, run
by billionaire Elon Musk, ceased to be just a car company. As was
widely expected, Tesla announced that it is offering a home
battery product, which people can use to store energy from their
solar panels or to backstop their homes against blackouts, and
also larger scale versions that could perform similar roles for
companies or even parts of the grid.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/04/30/why-teslas-announcement-could-be-such-a-big-deal/


MISCELLANEOUS

Five electric buses join Metro's fleet; more may be coming.  
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
continued down its greener path Thursday when five electric buses
were delivered to transportation officials downtown. Chinese
automaker BYD manufactured the buses at its Lancaster plant.
Between the plant and the company's downtown headquarters, BYD
employs at least 160 people. Company Chairman Chuan Fu Wang said
he hoped to hire more people if purchase orders continued.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0501-electric-buses-20150501-story.html


OPINIONS

The End of California?  
In a normal year, no one in California looks twice at a
neighbor’s lawn, that mane of bluegrass thriving in a sun-blasted
desert. Or casts a scornful gaze at a fresh-planted almond grove,
saplings that now stand accused of future water crimes. Or
wonders why your car is conspicuously clean, or whether a fish
deserves to live when a cherry tree will die.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/opinion/sunday/the-end-of-california.html


California’s wildfire season now runs year-round.  
In California, the first week of May has come to represent the
beginning of wildfire season, with events to raise awareness of
the dangers to come. This year, however, is different. The
ongoing drought, the continued mismanagement of forestlands and
the nonsensical funding formula for fire prevention have led to a
year-round wildfire season in California.
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article19961073.html


Valley air is better, but it’s still not healthy.  
California is the nation’s air pollution paradox. We have the
country’s dirtiest air, especially in the San Joaquin Valley,
where the drought is hurting our air quality, and the Los Angeles
basin. But we are also a national leader in efforts to improve
the air. And we’ve made more progress on that front than most
other parts of the country.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2015/04/30/4502783_editorial-valley-air-is-better.html?rh=1


BLOGS

California's Drought May Be Ruining Air Quality.  
California's drought has parched farmland, left some rural
residents reliant on bottled water and demanded households reduce
water use by 25 percent. And now, a new report says the drought
may be worsening air quality. The American Lung Association's
annual State of the Air study, evaluating ozone and particle
pollution across the U.S. from 2011 to 2013, found that the
region's prolonged dry period, which began at the end of 2011,
may be contributing to increased contaminants in the air. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/30/california-drought-air-quality_n_7184616.html






California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.