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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.

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Studies find global COVID-19 lockdowns have significantly reduced PM2.5 and NO2 pollution, but ozone up

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Levels of two major air pollutants have been reduced significantly since lockdowns began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a secondary pollutant—ground-level ozone—has increased in China, according to new research. Ozone is harmful to humans at ground-level, causing pulmonary and heart disease. —Guy Brasseur.

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Harvard/Nanjing study: China’s war on PM2.5 pollution is causing more severe ozone pollution

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pollution is falling, harmful ground-level ozone pollution is on the rise, especially in large cities. Ozone is the main ingredient in smog and has been studied since it began choking cities in the US in the early 1950s. Both NO x and VOCs are emitted from fossil fuel combustion, and VOCs can also be emitted from industrial sources.

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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.

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Study finds that unregulated VSLS efficient at influencing climate through depletion of stratospheric ozone

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Although halogens released from long-lived anthropogenic substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are the principal cause of the recent depletion of stratospheric ozone, recent observations show that very short-lived substances (VSLS), with lifetimes generally under six months, are also an important source of stratospheric halogens.

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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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The climate change benefit is estimated for 2050 and human health and crop benefits are for 2030 and beyond. Black carbon and tropospheric ozone are harmful air pollutants that also contribute to climate change. Global benefits from full implementation of the identified measures in 2030 compared to the reference scenario.

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Reducing Black Carbon Emissions and Ground-Level Ozone Would Provide Immediate Benefit Against Climate Change

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Reducing emissions of black carbon soot and ground-level ozone would quickly make a considerable dent in the climate change problem and would also contribute to public health and protect crop yields, according to an essay in the September/October issue of Foreign Affairs. Besides a danger to breathe, ozone lowers crop yields.