European City Ranking, Best practices for clean air

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), integrated by non gubernamental asociations, publishes their ranking with the cleanest cities. Roma is the most polluted one, and Madrid is one of the last. Berlin is in the top of the cleanest cities.

You can check the ranking and look for more information of each city here.

Reference sent by: Raquel Osa.
Image: sootfreecities.

ANTI POLLUTION CONCRETE

Some Scientists from Belgium are studing a new way to reduce air pollution. It is a concrete covered by a chemical with titanium oxide and It is illuminated by ultraviolet lights.

They are testing it in a tunnel with traffic, if It works they will use this method in others tunnels in Bruselas.

You can read more at Ecología Verde.

WORLDMAPPER

Some awesome maps from WORLMAPPER:

Emissions of Sulphur Dioxide:


And Nitrogen Oxides:

New Rules for Bicycles in Madrid

Traffic Department will amend the Rules for bikes circulation in the city this year.
They want to give priority to bicicles against cars on the streets which are limited to 30 Kmph. Cyclists will be authorized to drive along on sidewalks with more than three meters wide, but in any case, respecting one metro from the facades of buildings to allow a clear passage for pedestrians.

Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba clarifies that there should be a bike lane to differentiate the areas for pedestrian and for bicycles.

You can read more at El Pais , Madridiario, El Mundo.


Image: Gorka Lejarcegi, El País.

Visionary of the Science

The ERC finances the most advanced projects of scientific research (266), and 13 of them are spanish.

The projects are varied, but they all rely on the ability to control matter (alive or inert), and in the fact that now it´s possible to manage and interpret huge amounts of data of almost everything.

The project of Jordi Bascompte (CSIC) in the Biological Station of Doñana researches how to simulate and predict the way that the nature would be affected by a massive disturbance as the climate change.

Congratulations to all of them!

You can read more at El Pais newspaper.

Study: Air Pollution Is the "Major Culprit" of Heart Attacks

As we can read at GOOD Magazine:

"Think air pollution might give you asthma, at worst? It's a little more serious than that, according to new research in the journal The Lancet:

Air pollution triggers more heart attacks than using cocaine and poses as high a risk of sparking a heart attack as alcohol, coffee and physical exertion, scientists said on Thursday.
Sex, anger, marijuana use and chest or respiratory infections and can also trigger heart attacks to different extents, the researchers said, but air pollution, particularly in heavy traffic, is the major culprit..."

Report by Andrew Price, web editor.

You can read more here.

Reference sent by Uriel Fogué, Agencia de Arquitectura.

Image (cc) by Flickr user steven.buss, Smog over LA.

Flashmob in Madrid

Last saturday It was the 1st Flashmob against pollution in the center of Madrid!!!

You can read more at El Pais.

Images: Marina Fernández Ramos.

El ROTO, finally

We´ve been waiting, but he has finally done it:

"We realize that the air exists when we can´t breathe"

High pollution in Madrid and Barcelona

More news about the actual pollution situation in the cities at the national press:

El País: "The rain will clean the air, the politician wont"
El País: "Gallardón: We have the cleanest air of the last ten years"
El País: High pollution in Madrid and Barcelona
El Mundo: The plan for restrict the trafic that Gallardón never executed.
El Mundo: video: "The most polluted square".
El Mundo: video: opinion of the citizen.
El Mundo: "PSOE: the pollution affects all the community"
El Mundo: discussion.
El Mundo: "Ways to reduce pollution"


Image: El País.

Warning of high pollution in Madrid

Last night there were pannels at M-30 street asking the drivers to use public transport. There are high levels of pollutants in the city. The situation will stay like this for some more days becouse there is no rain or wind.

You can read more at El Mundo or El País newspapers.

Image: El Mundo.

Reference sent by Eva Moraga.

More cities will be investigated

The Environment Fiscal of Madrid, Antonio Vercher, will investigate the data pollution in other cities of Spain like Barcelona, Sevilla, Valencia o Bilbao.


"Ecologistas en Acción" declares that at least 8 more cities changed the location of their pollution detectors: Burgos, Córdoba, Granada, León, Ponferrada, Valencia, Valladolid y Zaragoza.


Click here for more information (El Pais newspaper).

The President of the Community of Madrid defends the Mayor

The President of the Community of Madrid Esperanza Aguirre defends the Mayor Gallardón. She says that the EU doesn´t ask to locate the pollution detectors in the most contaminated areas.



You can read more here (El País newspaper).



And click here for more information about the pollution in Madrid during the last days.



Image: El País.


Reference sent by Lucía Fernández.

Statements of the Environment Minister

The Environment Minister declares that the air quality in Madrid is very bad and urges the Council to "take urgent actions", like rearranging the traffic, avoiding it in some areas and improving public transport.

Read more at El Pais newspaper.

Image: El País.

Reference sent by Enrique Soriano.

Statements of the Environment Local Responsable

Ana Botella, the responsable of the Environment department of the Local Gobernment declares that the Air Pollution of Madrid is not dangerous for the health of the citizens.

She also says that the government is blamable for promoting the use of diesel cars.

You can read more at El Mundo , Público, ABC, El País.

Image: El Mundo.

The Environment Fiscal ask for responsabilities

The Environment Fiscal of Madrid, Antonio Vercher, asks Madrid Local Gobernment for an identification of the responsable people who ordered the change of the location of the pollution detectors in the city.

As we explained in other posts, some pollution detectors were moved to green areas (in order to get better data), so the air of the most polluted areas is not being mesured.

Vercher has ordered the collection of air pollution data in these points and they´ve noticed that It hasn´t been reduced.

Madrid is not respecting The EU limits for Air Pollution and there is not a real local strategy to reduce them.

You can read this new at El Pais newspaper.

Image: El Pais.

Statements of the Environment Fiscal

The Environment Fiscal of Madrid declares that the change of the location of the pollution detectors of Madrid demonstrates that the Local Government is ignoring an important problem of air pollution.

You can read more at El Pais newspaper. Also an old report of El Mundo.

Image: El País.

Bruselas stops the CO2 market

The 20th of january Bruselas stopped the market of CO2 emission rights (at least until the 26th of january) becouse there´ve been some informatic thievery.

You can read more at the El Pais newspaper.

Image: El País.

Air Quality Report 2010

Ecologistas en Acción present their anual report about the Air Quality of Madrid: the limits of pollution are not being respected, and the Local Estrategy of the Comunity of Madrid 2006-2010 is not working. They´re going to denunciate the Local Gobernment to the Courts.

You can see the report here.

Madrid is not able to reduce Air pollution

Another report of El País, confirmed: Madrid is not respecting the limits for Air pollution of the EU, Ana Botella ask for more time.

We can see this information in other national newspapers and blogs. Also at plataformaSINC.

Ecologist ask for taking actions.

Air pollution limits not respected in Madrid

The Pais Newspaper publishes a new report about the air pollution in Madrid. The reporter Elena G. Sevillano continues tracing the situation of pollution in the city: The EU levels aren´t being respected.

Ana Botella (Environment Department of the Local Government) wants to ask the EU for more time, and says that their limits are too much strict.

Ecologistas en Acción is going to denunciate the local Government.

Reference sent by Jara Rocha.

El Pais newspaper has published two more reports about the air pollution in madrid:

>"La UE debe ser más ambiciosa contra la contaminación": an interview to JULIO DÍAZ, researched of the Health Institute Carlos III. He has studied the relationship between PM2,5 particles (most of them come from diesel engines) and mortality. He consideres that the EU should have to ask for more restricted limits.
The reporter Elena G. Sevillano reminds that the pollution detectors of the most contaminated areas has been removed: The air of the most polluted areas is not being measuring.

>"Gallardón elude la responsabilidad sobre los niveles de contaminación": Gallardón, the Mayor of Madrid, doesn´t assume responsabilities about the high levels of pollution in the city.