US To Monitor Air Quality In India and Other Countries 42
mdsolar writes with news about a U.S. plan to monitor air quality in countries like India and Mongolia to help raise awareness about the dangers of pollution. "The United States says it will expand air-quality monitoring at some overseas diplomatic missions, following several years of reporting pollution data in China. The goal is to increase awareness of the health risks of outdoor air pollution, which easily spreads across borders, Secretary of State John Kerry said in announcing the program on Wednesday. The program is intended to help United States citizens abroad reduce their exposure to pollution and to help other countries develop their own air-quality monitoring through training and exchanges with American experts, he said. "We're hoping that this tool can also expand international cooperation when it comes to curbing air pollution," Mr. Kerry said. The program, run in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency, will begin to operate in India in a few months. New Delhi has some of the world's worst air pollution, and residents there are becoming increasingly concerned about the dangers. American diplomatic missions will also monitor air quality in Vietnam, Mongolia and elsewhere, Mr. Kerry said."
Tradition (Score:5, Insightful)
George Perkins Marsh (Score:2)
IMSI catchers (Score:1)
Yeah, but today it's more like IMSI catchers and other surveillance.
Please do it at home, we don't want your surveillance.
Re: (Score:2)
Single ecosystem (Score:5, Insightful)
First you deregulate trade, and you use that to pressure your suppliers to have the lowest possible cost. In order to achieve this, the suppliers must crush workers in remote countries and fuck the environment... and suddently you discover that there is only one single ecosystem and that pollution affects you.
It is nice to see a US government that acknowledges there is general interest linked to environment. What will come next? They should push international environmental regulations that trump trade deregulation. I wonder if I will live long enough to see that.
Re: (Score:2)
First you deregulate trade, and you use that to pressure your suppliers to have the lowest possible cost. In order to achieve this, the suppliers must crush workers in remote countries and fuck the environment... and suddently you discover that there is only one single ecosystem and that pollution affects you.
It is nice to see a US government that acknowledges there is general interest linked to environment. What will come next? They should push international environmental regulations that trump trade deregulation. I wonder if I will live long enough to see that.
Maybe the nations of the world should meet and discuss such a protocol. It will probably take a couple months to round up all those diplomats. I propose mid-April. The cherry blossoms should be blooming in Japan around that time. How about meeting in Kyoto? Beautiful city with plenty of high class hotel rooms.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The monitoring of pollution levels in places where tracking them might not occur is chicken soup... can't hurt, might help.
There is no appreciable difference to our common planet whether environmental contamination of industry is Indian, Chinese, American, or European.
Re: (Score:2)
Sadly, none of the west has done that. But the reason is that leaders from other nations do NOT want that. They want to take advantage of cheating by trashing their environment, combined with manipulating their money and dumping goods.
I remain a fan of NAFTA though it should have had regulations to bring us up to Canada's environmental and labor standards.
BUT, the others,
Re: (Score:1)
Fuck off...
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Look, just because the work goes overseas does NOT mean that the other nation must pollute. It is up to them on how to do things.
India manipulates their money against the dollar and runs it up. They tried moving it to a point where it would be free to move, and software companies threatened to leave because it would be too expensive.
Now, you will note that India did all this by manipulating their money in the first place, and then when they try to back out, the companies will leave.
So, who
Re: (Score:1)
Yes, oxygen is poisonous, and highly corrosive. Save your life, and stop inhaling now!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
How about monitoring the chemtrails here first?
What do you mean? The government is monitoring them very carefully, since they're the ones paying for the chemicals and loading them in the airplanes. Especially after the travesty of 9/11, where they forgot to take into account the altered burning temperature that results when the chemicals mix with jet fuel when they were doing the calculations for their inside job. But since then, they are saving money by having Monsanto put the chemicals in GMOs. OMG TOXINS!
Have you unfucked your own country yet? (Score:2)
A lot of that pollution is caused by the way you exploit foreign countries for their slave labor.
Has anyone reinstated the environmental protection laws that G. W. Bush removed?
Not to worry, though.
Soon, USA allies will be able to strike eco terrorist harboring countries with your drones - got to love it.
And they'll check their own backyard too ? (Score:5, Informative)
Since the US is the number 2 polluter in the world!
http://www.reuters.com/news/pi... [reuters.com]
(probably not the most accurate report but good enough example).
Re:And they'll check their own backyard too ? (Score:4)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, hold on, now. Let's put some context on that number. First, our per-capita emissions are improving year over year (this is also true of Europe). This image gives us more context [wikimedia.org], but still leaves out some important facts: OECD Americas includes #2 America, while the lower China is #1. BUT, the image is pretty good for establishing trends in emissions. First world countries are trending down, China and ME are trending up. As China begins outsourcing production for their own environmental concerns, look
Re: (Score:2)
I always laugh when idiots trot out data that is 5-10 years old.
Here is Europe's 2013 numbers on each nation's output. [europa.eu]
In fig 2.3, you can see that America's total output in 2012 is about 25% above Europe's and that both of ours are headed in the right direction, which is shrinking.
OTOH, China's is massively moving upwards and continues that growth.
And to take it a step further, look at figure 2.5. That is CO2 / GDP (PPP). Sadly, they do not have one with REAL $GDP, which is a far better measureme
Re: (Score:2)
Brick and stone are siding commonly used in housing construction after the framed structure is built, typically from dead tree lumber... although metal framing is used in some commercial applications.
USA has very low credibility in India... (Score:3)
We can argue till the sacred cows come how why it is so, or whether it is justified, or whether it hurts or helps USA or India. But ground reality is, USA has no real credibility. If it monitors air quality and announces the results, people would find thousands of hidden agenda and subversion in it.
It is not just India. This old lady in northern Iraq [youtube.com] passionately pleads for peace to ISIS militants, (assuming the sub titles are true) tells them their ways are un-Islamic in their face. But thinks America is providing ISIS weapons and money!
I grew up in India and visit it every year. It is very hard to convince even highly educated and informed Indians that "USA is not a monolith. Parts of it are purely profit driven. Parts of it are genuinely altruistic, desiring real democracy and good life for all of the world. No, President Obama is not conspiring with the CEOs of Coca-Cola and Pepsi to drive your hometown soda maker out of business, your rose-flavor-soda is safe from Pepsi. No, the President can not order CEO of Warner Brothers to censor a movie". I am talking about people who have very advanced degrees, worked in Middle East, Africa and far East outside India, people who have visited USA and Europe as tourists and visited friends and relatives there. They just don't believe any part of USA could be altruistic.
All the goodwill earned by all the people doing tremendous charity work, altruistic work, is squandered by a few bad players, mostly corporations corrupting the local politicians for their profit.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
I don't see US giving warm welcomes to foreign monitoring stations here and going we want to work together to create better environment.
It is a lot safer bet to assume everyone is acting in their self interest.
There is no point in giving credibility just because someone says their intentions are benevolent or going hey we are U.S of A we are the only country who can make this world better so you can trust us. Promise we are good guys.
great, but release the OCO2 data now (Score:2)