WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 -- A study showed that the U.S. government's rollback of its climate change and energy policy would lower the country's air quality by increasing emissions of health-damaging ozone.
The study published in the latest edition of journal One Earth found that with the combination of loosened regulations and a warming climate, 22 more U.S. counties would fail to meet the current ozone safety standard in 2050.
Unlike ozone in the upper atmosphere, which protects the Earth from space radiation, ground-level ozone at high concentrations damage people's respiratory functions and reduce crop yields.
In the past few decades, regulations have prompted significant reductions in ground-level ozone. However, it remains one of the most difficult air pollutants to manage.
Shen Huizhong and his team from the Georgia Institute of Technology created a computer model to simulate how relaxing energy policies would affect ozone levels through 2050.
In their scenario, they assumed that several U.S. energy policies, the Clean Power Plan, Production Tax Credit, Investment Tax Credit, and the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards on cars were eased.
They found that relaxing energy policies would add 6.5 percent more nitrogen oxides into the air compared to the scenario with the current policies still in place. The nitrogen oxides are precursors of ozone.
When the team took climate change into consideration, the effect on ozone precursor emissions was even more substantial. A warmer climate will encourage the release of volatile organic compounds, another ozone precursor, by plants, according to the study.
The researchers found that the combined effects of relaxed energy policies and climate change would cause 17 to 22 more U.S. counties to exceed the ozone safety standard in 2050.
This represents a 63 to 81 percent increase in failing counties compared to the scenario of continued energy policies and no climate change.
The Trump Administration has kept relaxing regulations over pollution. Recent research from Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School showed that more than 80 environmental rules would be deregulated by the Trump Administration.
Indicators show US economic recovery slow, uneven
Mideast protests spark debate over free speech, religion(视频)
US postal service wants Congress to make changes to its business model
What world leaders said at the UN
To avoid humans, tigers take night shift
Man who found California gold died broke
Kix Brooks goes solo on 'New To This Town'
Tree deaths linked to climate change
American's first exchange students from China
Teens help revive California nature
IB program aims to form 'students of the world'(视频)
Learning First Aid: What to do until medical help arrives
Nokia, Microsoft promote new phones
我的校园 My Campus
US firms prospering in Asia, Russia(视频)
Words and their stories: Nose and ear expressions
Words and their stories: Let's do business
The Occupy Movement turns one
National 9/11 museum at standstill as anniversary nears
Chinese invest in Italian soccer club(视频)
2012 Americana Music Award nominees announced
US automakers bet billions on Russian car boom
Tensions rising again over Iran's nuclear program(视频)
Designing an alternative to antibiotics
Cancer drug finds HIV hidden in the body
Convention to nominate president Obama for second term
Health Experts: One last push needed to eliminate polio
Men face higher death risk, but why?
Kenny Chesney's latest album builds on success
New heart stents better than old ones, study says
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |