Air

"The ozone layer that shields life from cancer-causing solar rays is showing its first sign of recovery after years of dangerous depletion, a U.N. study said on Wednesday, in a rare piece of good news on the environment."

"Every day at remote oil fields across the globe, unwanted gas burns skyward. What goes up in flames could meet a quarter of the United States' natural gas demand. A small nonprofit using satellite imagery puts it on the map."

NEW ORLEANS -- Gen. Russell Honoré, the New Orleans hero who restored
order after Hurricane Katrina, is now inspiring and consolidating
grass-roots anti-pollution activism under the banner of a "Green
Army." One of their first missions is strengthening EPA's proposed
rule for toxic emissions from the refineries which pollute Southern
Louisiana neighborhoods. Among the places Honoré has sounded his call
to arms was the Society of Environmental Journalists' meeting October
3. Julie Dermansky report on the Green Army for DeSmogBlog August 20,
2014, before the SEJ meeting.

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staff said Friday that the nation should tighten smog rules significantly, a step that would improve air quality in California but force costly new requirements on government and industry."

"There are some countries in the world where the air is so polluted you can forget about coming home with a healthy holiday glow."

"WASHINGTON - The United States has made progress in reducing dangerous air pollution since 1990 but work remains to reduce risks for the country's most overburdened urban areas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's top official said on Thursday."

"New research from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center shows that large quantities of a chemical responsible for depleting the ozone layer are still being emitted, even years after an international ban."

"Drilling-wary Maryland is one of several East Coast states considering whether to open their lands to fracking as public health concerns mount."

"SAN FRANCISCO — The threats from climate change are many: extreme weather, shrinking snowpack, altered ecosystems and rising and more acidic seas, to name a few. Another lesser-known issue may hit especially close to home for city dwellers. In the world’s already smoggy metropolises, pollution is likely to grow worse, a phenomenon scientists have taken to calling the climate penalty."

"U.S. EPA has denied a petition from environmentalists to name nearly 60 areas of the country out of compliance with the federal ozone standard."