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UCL-led study finds climate impact caused by growing space industry needs urgent mitigation

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The rapidly growing space industry may have a greater climate effect than the aviation industry and undo repair to the protective ozone layer if left unregulated, according to a new study led by UCL and published in the journal Earth’s Future as an open-access paper. —Ryan et al. —Ryan et al.

Climate 428
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TOAR shows present-day global ozone distribution and trends relevant to health; public database

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Ozone levels across much of North America and Europe dropped significantly between 2000 and 2014. People living in parts of southern Europe, South Korea and southern Japan and China also experienced more than 15 days a year of ozone levels above 70 ppb. Trends in daily maximum ozone levels (known as 4MDA8) at urban and non-urban sites.

Ozone 255
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Researchers identify four new man-made gases contributing to destruction of ozone layer

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A study by an international team led by scientists at the University of East Anglia have identified four new man-made gases in the atmosphere, all of which are contributing to the destruction of the ozone layer. CFCs are the main cause of the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. Johannes C. Laube, Mike J. Oram, Claire E.

Ozone 246
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Study: surface ozone in India in 2005 damaged 6M tonnes of crops, enough to feed 94M people in poverty

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Ozone, the main component of smog, is a plant-damaging pollutant formed by emissions from vehicles, cooking stoves and other sources. New research shows that ozone pollution damaged millions of tons of wheat, rice, soybean and cotton crops in India in 2005. Surface ozone pollution in India damaged 6 million metric tons (6.7

Ozone 239
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Study finds some refrigerants less damaging to ozone layer can degrade to long-lived GHG CF4

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Some of the substitutes for ozone-damaging chemicals that being phased out worldwide under international agreements are themselves potent greenhouse gases and contribute to warming. Even as we move towards shorter-lived halocarbons for industrial use, during atmospheric degradation they can produce a long-lived atmospheric effect.

Ozone 150
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UK researchers report that alcohols in windshield washer fluid are major unreported source of VOCs emissions from cars, including EVs

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There are widespread policy assumptions that the phase-out of gasoline and diesel internal combustion engines will over time lead to much reduced emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from road transport and related fuels. Cliff et al. While some VOCs are released in exhaust, others may arise from an unexpected source—e.g.,

Emissions 397
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UNEP study: small number of measures targeting black carbon and tropospheric ozone could yield immediate climate benefits

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Black carbon and tropospheric ozone are harmful air pollutants that also contribute to climate change. Reducing black carbon and tropospheric ozone now will slow the rate of climate change within the first half of this century, the study said. Full implementation of these measures would reduce future global warming by 0.5 °C

Ozone 218