Read more air quality stories on Newserhttp://www.newser.com/taggrid/25638/air-quality.html2009 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorTue, 24 Nov 2009 12:20:23 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/70050/red-dust-blankets-sydney.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagRed dust blowing in from the Australian Outback covered Sydney today, snarling air travel and forcing locals to don masks to venture outdoors. “It’s like a nuclear winter morning,” one visitor told Bloomberg; the state government called air quality “hazardous.” Visibility was under 50 feet in some areas of the...http://www.newser.com/story/70050/red-dust-blankets-sydney.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagTue, 22 Sep 2009 20:36:48 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/34378/ioc-bbc-spar-over-beijing-air.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThe International Olympic Committee says there is nothing wrong with the air in Beijing and praised China's "extraordinary" efforts to clean up pollution ahead of the Games' kick-off tomorrow. But the BBC disagrees, reporting its own analysis that shows Beijing's air pollution at nearly four times World Health Organization standards.http://www.newser.com/story/34378/ioc-bbc-spar-over-beijing-air.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThu, 07 Aug 2008 13:50:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/34210/bejings-clean-air-blitz-falls-short.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThe Chinese government’s goal of dispersing the thick smog around Beijing is not working, Wired reports after analyzing independent data. Efforts including factory shutdowns, car bans, and cloud seeding have not improved air quality, with pollution levels still far above the World Health Organization’s standards on most days. Heavy rain...http://www.newser.com/story/34210/bejings-clean-air-blitz-falls-short.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagTue, 05 Aug 2008 13:49:32 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33845/beijing-becomes-obsessed-with-rain.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagTalking about the weather isn’t just idle conversation in Beijing these days—it’s a national obsession, the Washington Post reports. The country is so anxious for a sunny Olympics—with just enough rain to clear the smog, of course—that changes in the forecast have become front-page news. Monday even...http://www.newser.com/story/33845/beijing-becomes-obsessed-with-rain.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThu, 31 Jul 2008 13:33:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/33838/beijing-amps-up-anti-pollution-measures.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagBeijing today rolled out new emergency measures to ease pollution, with the Olympics just more than a week away. The new rules will close more factories and take more vehicles off the road, in a wider radius around the capital, in the event of “extremely unfavorable weather conditions"—like hot,...http://www.newser.com/story/33838/beijing-amps-up-anti-pollution-measures.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThu, 31 Jul 2008 8:28:49 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/27625/clean-air-changes-imperil-parks.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagClean air rules likely to be changed this summer are causing serious concerns about future pollution at some of America's most spectacular national parks, reports the Washington Post . The changes will pave the way for 28 new coal-fired power plants near ten parks, according to a report supported by some...http://www.newser.com/story/27625/clean-air-changes-imperil-parks.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagFri, 16 May 2008 4:33:18 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/24792/sf-bay-area-businesses-face-penalties-for-pollution.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagSan Francisco Bay Area businesses could face major fines—the first ever imposed by a local government—based on the amount of climate-changing emissions they produce annually, the New York Times reports. The move, which the Bay Area Air Quality Management District could make official May 21, would skirt plodding...http://www.newser.com/story/24792/sf-bay-area-businesses-face-penalties-for-pollution.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThu, 17 Apr 2008 11:32:45 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/21420/epa-ignores-advisers-on-pollution-cap.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagIgnoring the recommendations of its own scientists, the Environmental Protection Agency yesterday reset standards for pollution-forming ozone from cars and factories at a level critics say may cost thousands of lives. The new cap is lower than the old level but still far above the limit urged by EPA experts,...http://www.newser.com/story/21420/epa-ignores-advisers-on-pollution-cap.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThu, 13 Mar 2008 7:18:59 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/21063/socal-bans-wood-burning-on-bad-air-days.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagOfficials in charge of air quality in Los Angeles and surrounding counties have banned the use of wood-burning fireplaces during certain high-pollution days. The fines would only be levied on about two dozen winter days, and wouldn't affect gas fireplaces, wood-burning ovens in restaurants, or homes above 3,000 feet,...http://www.newser.com/story/21063/socal-bans-wood-burning-on-bad-air-days.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagSat, 08 Mar 2008 8:08:13 CST