Some ships ditch fuel for wind power over pollution concerns

The breakdown of the ozone layer is one of the most well-known effects of climate change. Citizens enact different ways to protect the atmosphere from a build up of methane gas.

Kathmandu is one of the most polluted countries in the world--a title once caused by the excess smoke produced by brick creation in the city. However, after a 2015 earthquake destroyed much of the old technology used to fuel the brick industry, leaders took to leveraging updated technology with an increase in energy and production efficiency.

Autumn in India is known for the season of bad air quality, largely in part due to stubble-burning, a practice used by farmers to dispose of crop waste. To counter this practice, private companies are coming up with ways to essentially recycle the crop waste which not only helps the environment but also is a more profitable approach for the farmers.

In California’s wildfire-prone Sierras, forest managers are turning to an ancient, if not quite intuitive, tool: more fire. In 2019, the Forest Service will manage 250,000 acres with controlled burns and “mechanical thinning,” using equipment to take out small trees. Though such plans face some hurdles, states across the country are adopting them, reducing wildfire severity while often benefiting ecosystems.

In an effort to get people to change habits to decrease pollution in Salt Lake City, the city is trying several approaches using behavioral psychology to encourage residents to change their long-standing habits. For instance, free transit days assist new riders in learning how to use the public transit system. Mostly, the city is looking to the successes of places like California and Norway where the incentives are stronger, all in hopes of making the air quality safer.

Official in Bangkok, Thailand unleashed a small fleet of drones to deal with the hazardous levels of air pollution plaguing the city. The drones were outfitted with canisters capable of spraying water and a "non-hazardous chemical spray." The pilot project successfully reduced air pollution by small amounts.

After being known as a polluted mining town, politicians, scientists, industry officials, and residents of Sudbury, Ontario, were able to come together to restore its land. After 40 years and $33.5 million, they are about halfway through recovering about 200,000 acres of land. So far, they’ve been successful at restoring air quality, neutralizing soil to allow for replanting, and restocking lakes with fish. While some locals think the mining companies should have done more, the collaborative spirit could be a model for other communities looking to improve the environment.

The state of Pennsylvania set to plant 86,000 hectares of riparian buffers, the practice of planting trees and shrubs along a river or stream to filter water. Other benefits of riparian buffers include things like restoring the soil and cooling the water. In order to meet their goal, the state scientists used a bottom approach, enlisting the help of local farmers by offering them grants to plant trees and showing farmers how they can profit off of riparian buffers. While the state is behind its goal, the state is planting about 1,000 to 2,000 hectares a year.

London charges higher-emission vehicles every day they enter the city center, called the Ultra Low Emission Zone, on top of the already existing London Congestion Charge for non-electric vehicles to enter the zone. Since the charges were implemented, the city has seen an increase in electric vehicle adoption and improved air quality.

Alongside clean energy, wind farms built on property leased from locals in Nebraska are generating jobs, income, and local taxes that keep small towns like Petersburg afloat.