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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. Source: University of Leicester. Click to enlarge.

Ozone 255
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UN report projects that increasing use of HFCs likely to have a significant climate impact by 2050; equivalent to current total annual emissions from transport

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The decrease in CO 2 equivalent emissions of ODSs (ozone-depleting substances: CFCs, halons, HCFCs, and others) may be offset by the projected increase in their non-ozone depleting substitutes (HFCs) (lines designated as HFC scenarios). W m -2 relative to 2000. Climate and the Ozone Layer. Source: UNEP. Click to enlarge.

Climate 287
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HEI: 95%+ of world’s population live in areas of unhealthy air

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Ozone, another important component of outdoor air pollution, whose levels are on the rise around the world, contributed to 234,000 deaths from chronic lung disease. Population-weighted seasonal average ozone concentrations in 2016. Its results are published each year in the international medical journal, The Lancet.

Pollution 218
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Study projects net cooling of climate from ship emissions through 2050

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A recent study by an international team calculated that shipping causes a net cooling of climate across all parametrizations of the indirect aerosol effect (IAE) and scenarios throughout the period 1900?2050. A recent study commissioned by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimated total emissions of 1046 Tg CO 2 yr ?1

Climate 240
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Cutting Non-CO2 Pollutants Can Delay Abrupt Climate Change; The Fast Action Climate Agenda

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HFCs are powerful greenhouse gases originally developed as substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals. A binding legal agreement exists that can cut HFCs now—the Montreal Protocol ozone treaty—and many alternatives to HFCs have already been developed and are waiting for the right regulatory incentive from the Montreal Protocol to be deployed.

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Study finds paved surfaces in Houston worsen air quality

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The international study could have implications for the air quality of fast-growing coastal cities in the United States and other mid-latitude regions overseas—the proliferation of strip malls, subdivisions, and other paved areas may interfere with breezes needed to clear away smog and other pollution.

Houston 247
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NASA GISS Study Finds That Methane Has an Elevated Warming Effect Due to Interactions With Aerosols

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And hydroxyls drive long chains of reactions involving other common gases, including ozone. That’s noteworthy because nitrogen oxides have primarily been associated with ozone formation and warming in the past. Radiative forcing by greenhouse gases from 1750 to 2000. Similar reactions influence the creation of nitrate aerosols.