Oil and gas production has doubled in some parts of the United States in the last two years, and scientists can use satellites to see impacts of that trend: a significant increase in the release of the lung-irritating air pollutant nitrogen dioxide, for example, and a more-than-doubling of the amount of gas flared into the atmosphere.
News
Global Warming to Increase Violent Crime in the United States
January 15, 2020
People in the United States could see tens of thousands of extra violent crimes every year—because of climate change alone.
Iodine May Slow Ozone Layer Recovery
January 13, 2020
A new paper quantifying small levels of iodine in Earth’s stratosphere could help explain why some of the planet’s protective ozone layer isn’t healing as fast as expected. The paper posits a set of connections that link air pollution near Earth’s surface to ozone destruction much higher in the atmosphere. That higher-level ozone protects the planet’s surface from radiation that can cause skin cancer and damage crops.
