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Converting Coal Power Plants to Nuclear Gains Steam

Cars That Think

On a planet aspiring to become carbon neutral, the once-stalwart coal power plant is an emerging anachronism. It is true that, in much of the developing world, coal-fired capacity continues to grow. But in every corner of the globe, political and financial pressures are mounting to bury coal in the past.

Coal 145
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EEA report: EVs are better for climate and air quality

Green Car Congress

Battery electric cars emit less greenhouse gases and air pollutants over their entire life cycle than petrol and diesel cars, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report. Shifting to electric vehicles could also reduce noise pollution, especially in cities where speeds are generally low and traffic often stands still.

Climate 268
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Tsinghua University provincial-level lifecycle study finds fuel-cycle criteria pollutants of EVs in China could be up to 5x those of natural gas vehicles due to China’s coal-dominant power mix

Green Car Congress

In regions where the share of coal-based electricity is relatively low, EVs can achieve substantial GHG reduction, the team reports in a paper in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology. emissions are less important because of the low contribution of light duty vehicles to national PM 10 and PM 2.5

Coal 231
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Northwestern/Princeton study explores air quality impacts of aggressive conversion to EVs

Green Car Congress

This despite evidence that suggests air pollution impacts from the transportation sector exceed those from greenhouse gases. … solar, wind, hydroelectric, and nuclear) as compared to the eastern US (EUS), where the electricity market is dominated by pollutant and precursor emitting combustion sources (i.e., —Schnell et al.

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Black carbon linked to increased cardiovascular risk; exacerbated by co-exposure to motor vehicle emissions

Green Car Congress

Black carbon (BC) from incomplete biomass and fossil fuel combustion is the most strongly light-absorbing component of particulate matter (PM) air pollution and a major climate-forcing emission. We wanted to identify the pollution sources that most impact human health to help inform these pollution control efforts.

Carbon 275
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Discovery of mechanism for atmospheric particle formation suggests need for ammonia emission regulations

Green Car Congress

An international team of researchers has shed light on one way new particles are forming in the upper troposphere. There are no factories or farms, and planes are thought to make up most of the pollutants in this area. After learning about the former study, Mingyi Wang, a Ph.D. The emission sources are limited up there.

Emissions 186
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EPA: US greenhouse gases up 2% in 2013; increased coal consumption, cool winter

Green Car Congress

The increase from 2012 to 2013 was due to an increase in the carbon intensity of fuels consumed to generate electricity due to an increase in coal consumption, with decreased natural gas consumption, according to the report. By sector, power plants were the largest source of emissions, accounting for 31% of total US greenhouse gas pollution.

2013 150