Global Clean Air

Four COP30 clean air outcomes worth getting excited about

By Sergio Sanchez / Published: December 8, 2025
EDF’s Meredith Ryder-Rude presented the findings of our Breathing Life into Amazonian Cities report at the COP30 Super Pollutants Pavillion, hosted by the Clean Air Fund, the Global Methane Hub and the Super Pollutant Action Alliance. COP30 saw a first-of-its-kind commitment to cut black carbon and other super pollutants. (Clean Air Fund)

EDF’s Meredith Ryder-Rude presented the findings of our Breathing Life into Amazonian Cities report at the COP30 Super Pollutants Pavilion, hosted by the Clean Air Fund, the Global Methane Hub and the Super Pollutant Action Alliance. COP30 saw a first-of-its-kind commitment to cut black carbon and other super pollutants. (Clean Air Fund)

For EDF, the outcomes of COP30, while not enough, offered a practical pathway for countries to accelerate climate action, accompanied by meaningful advances on air quality and health.

Although the conference fell short on one of its core tasks — setting a clear pathway to phase out fossil fuels — it did bring several advances that, if strengthened and implemented, could enable significant progress in 2026 and beyond. Let’s take a look at four outcomes that stand out.

1. A first-of-its-kind commitment to cut black carbon and other super pollutants

What happened: Nine countries announced the first coordinated effort to cut emissions from the super pollutant, black carbon. In parallel, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition launched the Super Pollutant Country Action Accelerator under the COP30 Action Agenda, with a mission to help around 30 developing countries cut super pollutants by 2030, starting with $25 million (US) for seven pioneer countries and scaling to $150 million.

Super pollutants, also known as short-lived climate pollutants, are fast-acting climate and air toxics that, per ton and over the near term, trap far more heat than carbon dioxide and cause severe harm to human and environmental health, including deadly air pollution. They include methane, some HFCs, black carbon and surface level ozone. Because ozone is not directly emitted, reducing it requires controlling its precursors, primarily methane, nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Why it matters: Targeted action to cut super pollutants can avoid up to 0.6°C of warming by 2050 while securing outsized health and economic benefits. Cutting super pollutants serves as an “emergency brake” on near-term warming and is one of the fastest routes to fewer asthma attacks, heart and lung disease cases and premature deaths.

2. A plan — and at least $300 million — to adapt health systems to climate change

What happened: The government of Brazil, together with the World Health Organization (WHO), launched The Belém Health Action Plan (BHAP), recognized by the WHO as one of the flagship outcomes of Brazil’s COP30 presidency.

Announced on Health Day, BHAP lays out detailed action lines — and funds — to make health systems more climate resilient, improve early-warning systems for climate risks and prioritize vulnerable and indigenous communities. The plan is backed by an initial $300 million (US) commitment from the Climate and Health Funders Coalition.

Why it matters: BHAP is a significant step forward because it turns “health is the human face of climate change” into an operational agenda that will result in tangible benefits, such as stronger clinics and hospitals, better data, targeted protection for more vulnerable groups and policies that treat clean air as a core determinant of well-being and economic resilience.

3. Robust action and funds to manage wildfires and associated pollution

What happened: Wildfires were the greatest driver of intact tropical forest loss last year. As fire regimes continue to intensify at a faster rate than humans and natural ecosystems can adapt, current management approaches have become increasingly ineffective. Wildfire smoke is one of the most toxic forms of air pollution, with outsized effects on children, older adults, indigenous communities and workers. These facts have made the link between forest health and human health clearer than ever, demanding a reimagined global response.

COP30 yielded at least three innovative actions and funding commitments to protect forests and limit air pollution and other harms by improving wildfire management:

Why it matters: These initiatives bring desperately needed attention, resources and technical knowledge to bear in helping the world tackle ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from wildfires. They complement a key high-level COP30 outcome, which sets a goal to at least triple funds to help developing countries adapt to climate impacts. While insufficient on its own, the adaptation funding goal creates a framework to direct resources toward most-affected communities while linking forest finance and wildfire prevention.

This graphic from EDF’s new report, Breathing Life into Amazonian Cities, highlights a few of the benefits that clean air investments, such as renewable energy and public transportation, would bring to the cities of the Amazon region.

This graphic from EDF’s new report, Breathing Life into Amazonian Cities, highlights a few of the benefits that clean air investments, such as renewable energy and public transportation, would bring to the cities of the Amazon region.

4. A blueprint for clean air, health and economic opportunity in Amazon cities

What happened: COP30 elevated a regional case for how investing in clean air can return enormous compounding benefits in health outcomes, climate stability and economic growth.

The Breathing Life into Amazonian Cities report — released by EDF, Instituto Ar and Clean Air Institute with generous support from Breathe Cities and in collaboration with Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change — shows that 10 million urban residents across Brazil’s Amazon cities breathe unsafe air, leading to over 3,000 premature deaths and nearly $5 billion (US) in annual health costs. The report also highlights a major opportunity: targeted clean-air investments such as electrifying transport, upgrading air-quality monitoring and expanding renewable energy could yield returns that are up to 33 times their initial cost and create more jobs per dollar than fossil fuels.

EDF’s Climate 411 blog notes that partners at COP30 pointed to the Amazon Cities report to demonstrate how cleaner air, public health and climate action reinforce each other, turning abstract debates into practical investment roadmaps that development banks, climate funds and local authorities can follow.

Why it matters: Integrating air quality into climate action makes the benefits of cutting emissions more tangible and immediate, while dramatically increasing their social, economic and political dividends. Cleaner air returns nearly immediate health gains, lowers medical costs, boosts productivity, strengthens public support and creates visible benefits within months rather than decades — turning climate action into a benefit that people can feel in their daily lives.

EDF's Meredith Ryder-Rude and Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary of Urban Environment, Water Resources and Environmental Quality in Brazil's Ministry of Environment and Climate Change at the Sustainable Urban Development for the Amazon event in Belém.

EDF’s Meredith Ryder-Rude and Adalberto Maluf, National Secretary of Urban Environment, Water Resources and Environmental Quality in Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, pose for a photo following the Sustainable Urban Development for the Amazon event in Belém, where Meredith presented on our Breathing Life into Amazonian Cities report.

What’s next after COP30?

As with many earlier COPs — including COP21 where the Paris Agreement was adopted — COP30 was far from a panacea. While it fell short on some critical outcomes, it brought unprecedented attention to the climate-health link, ushering in bold initiatives and significant funding to drive down air pollution worldwide, especially super pollutants.

Even as some countries resisted action on climate and clean air reductions, others showed meaningful leadership, including Brazil. As our Amazon Cities report makes clear, countries that choose to move forward and invest confidently in the solutions we need, such as clean energy, electrification and public transportation, will be the first to reap the vast financial and health returns that they yield.

While global conferences like COP have always been key to generating coordinated global commitments, it’s actions that countries take in between that move the needle. Going forward, that’s where EDF will be focused: working alongside ambitious governments like Brazil, and partners across sectors worldwide, to provide the research, technical expertise and policy support needed to slash climate pollution, deliver clean air, health and other benefits for people and communities, and help shape pathways that others can adapt and build upon.

For a broader view of EDF’s top takeaways from COP30, check out this blog post by Angela Churie Kallhauge on the Climate 411 blog.

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New study identifies health risks during unconventional oil and gas production for those living near wells

By Meagan Weisner, PhD, Senior Scientist, Healthy Communities and Paige Varner, PhD, Scientist, Healthy Communities / Published: May 1, 2025

A new study from Environmental Defense Fund finds that even oil and gas production that uses the most stringent emissions reductions technologies poses health risks to nearby residents. We collaborated with researchers from Colorado State University, Ajax Analytics, and the Colorado School of Public Health to study the cumulative risks posed by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ozone to communities living along Colorado’s Front Range.

The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, found that for communities located 1,000 feet from unconventional oil and gas (UOG) sites (i.e. sites that utilize fracking technologies), acute health risks to multiple organ systems persist during the periods of pre-production and production, even when emissions reductions strategies are implemented to cut pollution.  

Robust data sets from Colorado

In 2018, the City and County of Broomfield implemented an extensive air quality monitoring system and inspection program in response to community concerns about exposure from new oil and gas development. Colorado’s Front Range, which includes Broomfield, has been in violation of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone for several years.

It is well established that ozone can harm respiratory health, but less attention has been given to understanding the combined risks from inhaling oil and gas-related VOC pollutants in an area with high ozone levels. We combined air quality measurements collected near oil and gas and community sites in Broomfield with EPA ozone data collected within the Denver-Metro North Front Range Ozone Non-Attainment area. By evaluating these pollutants together, we gain a more accurate picture of real-world exposure—one that captures the health risks from breathing in a mixture of air pollutants.

For the study, which was published in Environmental Health Perspectives this month, we analyzed this data by developing a novel cumulative risk framework to understand how both short- and long-term exposure to multiple chemicals from oil and gas operations, along with exposure to background ozone, can impact human health.

Cumulative risk matters

Our Cumulative Human Health Risk Assessment goes beyond standard risk assessment frameworks by analyzing how inhaling multiple chemicals can affect multiple organ systems within the body. These kinds of risk assessments strengthen our understanding of real-world impacts, because humans are not exposed to one pollutant at a time, and that exposure does not impact only one system at a time.

We also examined which oil and gas activities were occurring when large plumes of VOCs were released into a nearby community 1,000 feet away from aUOG site. We found that separator maintenance, which occurs periodically throughout the production phase, was associated with large concentrations of VOCs. Our analysis showed that this activity can pose risks to pregnant women and children, the respiratory system and the human body’s ability to fight infections. When background levels of ozone were high, the addition of VOCs from oil and gas pushed risk above EPA thresholds.

Decades of health risks

Our study demonstrates that people who live 1,000 feet from UOG sites face risks, even when companies implement best management practices to reduce emissions. In Colorado’s Front Range, communities already face significant ozone pollution, especially in the summer when high temperatures make the pollution even worse.

Given that UOG production can last more than 30 years at a single site, health risks should be assessed from not only oil and gas related-VOCs during production, but also in combination with background ozone levels. Policymakers should take that into account when permitting new drilling sites that are near homes, schools or areas that could be developed in the future within the state setback zone of 2,000 feet.

These kinds of exposures could be blunted. Oil and gas operators could reduce exposure to some of the worst pollution by limiting activities like drilling during the summer when ozone is especially high. On high ozone days, people are often asked to modify their activities to reduce pollution. Oil and gas companies could do the same.

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Electrifying New York City’s trucks and buses would save billions and prevent hundreds of deaths per year, new study finds

By Derek Schwabe, Karla Sosa and Veronica Southerland / Published: February 5, 2025

Full electrification of MHDVs in New York City would save $2.4 billion in health costs per year.

Diesel-powered trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles—also known as medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs)—are some of the biggest emitters of health harming pollution on U.S. roads. That’s why many states are taking action to electrify their heavy-duty fleets over the next decade. A new study published in Environmental Research: Health tallies up the benefits of such a conversion for New York City, finding it would save $2.4 billion in health costs, prevent hundreds of deaths and more.

The study, coauthored by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Boston University and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), underscores the importance of state-level actions, such as the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule, to cut climate pollution and improve health. Amid industry pushback and the Trump administration’s efforts to halt the electric vehicle transition and undermine clean air standards, New York must lead by implementing the ACT rule this year.

Electrification would bring real annual benefits, especially for most affected communities

The study estimated that full electrification of MHDVs in NYC by 2040 would:

  • Save $2.4 billion in health costs
  • Prevent 248 deaths
  • Prevent 173 childhood asthma emergency department visits
  • Avoid 205 new pediatric asthma cases
  • Prevent over 52,000 pediatric asthma exacerbations

“This study demonstrates how electrifying New York City’s trucks and buses could improve public health, clean air and address climate emissions, especially in communities that have historically borne the heaviest burden of air pollution,” said Ananya Roy, EDF Senior Health Scientist and a co-author.

The study found that communities currently hardest hit by freight truck pollution, including predominantly black, Hispanic and/or low-wealth neighborhoods, such as the South Bronx, would benefit greatly from the transition. Four in ten census tracts with the worst air pollution would see their total traffic related air pollution (NO2) fall by at least 30%.

“The South Bronx is an epicenter of environmental injustice, primarily rooted in operations and infrastructure that see many thousands of MHDVs jam our streets and slice through our communities,” said Arif Ullah, Executive Director of South Bronx Unite, a community health organization. This has resulted in an asthma crisis and a range of other poor health outcomes, diminishing our quality of life and rippling across generations.”

“We have long known that the historic discriminatory siting of pollution-causing infrastructure, including highways, warehouses and bus depots, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles are disproportionately concentrated in low-income, communities of color, added Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. “This analysis exemplifies what we can expect to see when we accomplish our goals to electrify the transportation sector as we work to meet our climate mandates.”

How MHDVs contribute to New York’s pollution

At least 1 million MHDVs are on roads across New York state, travelling a collective 17 billion miles annually in 2020. In New York City, traffic is a major source of health harming air pollution, accounting for 14% of PM2.5 and 28% of NOx emissions. Heavy-duty diesel vehicles make up just 6% of the vehicle activity in the city but contribute more than half of tailpipe PM2.5 and NOx emissions. They are also responsible for about a quarter of all on-road vehicle climate emissions in the state.

New York’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule could help

New York State adopted the ACT rule in 2021, which requires truck and bus manufacturers to gradually produce and sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission MHDVs starting this year. But state legislators are currently weighing whether to pause implementation. Such a delay would disrupt the adoption timeline and postpone essential health benefits found in this research. New York must stand firm and proceed with implementation this year.

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NJ state legislators and residents talk new legislation to limit warehouse and truck pollution at virtual town hall

By Derek Schwabe / Published: November 8, 2024

What’s new: A coalition of environmental and community groups, including EDF, Clean Water Action and EarthJustice, held a virtual town hall last month with New Jersey state lawmakers and residents to promote pending legislation that would limit harmful truck pollution near warehouses, ports and other high-traffic facilities. Attendees heard from state Assemblymembers Andrea Katz and Carol Murphy, researchers and policy experts as they detailed the growth of the state’s warehouse and truck pollution, its health impacts and how the the Warehouse and Port Pollution Reduction Act (A4679/S3546) would help alleviate it.

Why it matters: The proliferation of the e-commerce industry in recent years has contributed to a steady rise in warehouses and other high-traffic facilities across the United States. Densely populated states like New Jersey have been disproportionately affected, with residents of color and of lower incomes more likely to have a warehouse sited near their homes. In New Jersey, freight trucks make up 11% of the on-road fleet but emit 56% of the transportation sector’s nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 33% of its fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5). In 2023, PM2.5 from on-road diesel vehicles led to 340 deaths, nearly 3,000 cancer cases, 164 heart attacks, 3,921 asthma flareups and 110 asthma emergency room visits in the state.

What would the new bill do? The bill centers around a regulation known as an Indirect Source Rule (ISR). California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District enacted a similar rule in 2021, and it is already driving down truck pollution in Southern California. It combines “carrot” and “stick” measures that create incentives for operators to reduce on-site pollution. These include an emissions reduction mandate and a flexible menu of investments that facilities can choose to come into compliance, including zero emissions trucks, charging equipment and solar panels. Grants and other financial incentives are available at the national, state and utility levels to help lower the costs of these investments. The bill would also mandate more transparency around emissions, increase community involvement in the permitting process for new facilities, and impose fines for noncompliance.

What they’re saying: Proponents of the bill expressed an urgent need to reduce the health harms posed by freight truck air pollution. Assemblywoman Katz, co-sponsor of the bill, acknowledged the benefits of e-commerce while calling on warehouse operators to do more to protect people’s health: “I’m not categorically opposed to warehouses. I like to get my Amazon deliveries the next day—that’s nice! I just want them to be responsible neighbors.”

Assemblywoman Murphy stressed the role of regulation, adding “When we have trucks that are projecting emissions through diesel and things of that nature, we’re also starting to talk about how that impacts our breathing…now we have to start turning out the regulations for those trucks.”

What’s next: EDF and partners will continue to assist legislators as they refine the bill and build support for it in the state, with To learn more about the bill and get updates on its progress, visit this page on the state legislature’s website.

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New Air Quality Data Directory connects advocates with crucial data to advance clean air goals

By EDF Web Team / Published: August 12, 2024

By Adrienne Parks, Analyst, Community Engagement

What’s new: A new tool from Environmental Defense Fund and partners is making it easier to connect clean air advocates with data to drive action. The Air Quality Data Directory is a filterable and searchable database of air pollution emissions datasets and associated tools intended to help demystify the process of finding and using relevant air quality data.

Why it matters: Air quality data is a powerful tool for driving change and validating communities’ lived experiences with pollution exposure. However, it isn’t always clear which datasets best answer specific questions or what data the public can access.

This data directory is a central hub that can help orient users to the world of air emissions datasets and tools. By applying filters to narrow down the many available datasets, advocates can identify which data source(s) can help advance a goal or solve a problem.

The aim of the directory is to help get the right data into the hands of advocates working to protect our health and climate. See below for an example of how a community-based organization in Texas uses databases that are found in our directory to inform and amplify their advocacy.

Data in Action – Air Alliance Houston’s AirMail Tool: Air Alliance Houston (AAH) is an advocacy organization working to reduce the health impacts of air pollution and advance environmental justice in the Houston area. AAH developed AirMail, a permit-tracking tool designed to help advocates monitor and take action on polluter permit notices in their communities.

What does AirMail do? AirMail tracks industrial permits as soon as they are submitted to the state regulator and triggers bilingual direct-mail campaigns to notify local residents. The tool helps fill gaps in the state’s community engagement efforts by calling attention to industrial polluters’ plans to expand operations.

What data does AirMail use? AAH developed a prioritization process that determines which permits AirMail focuses on by pulling in several datasets on air emissions: EPA data on facility-level greenhouse gas emissions, releases of toxic chemicals, modeled risk from toxic chemicals, facility compliance with environmental laws and more.

In addition to prioritizing facilities based on these datasets, AAH included qualitative data not already captured. It answered questions like:

  • Has a facility’s pollution caused well-publicized harms to a community?
  • Has it been in the news for fires, accidents, or other disasters? and
  • Are people paying attention to the health risks of added pollution?

How does AirMail inform advocacy? AirMail automatically generates postcards notifying residents of the potential pollution harms—and ways they can take action. Examples of these include submitting public comments and contacting state representatives to request a public meeting.

What’s next: EDF and partners will continue to build out this directory as new datasets and tools come online. If you’d like to see a specific resource added to our list, please reach out via this form or by email.

We would like to thank our partners and contributors who helped put this resource together. We could not have done it without your helpful feedback and advice along the way.

  • Air Alliance Houston
  • Tulane Environmental Law Clinic
  • The Data Center
  • WE ACT for Environmental Justice
  • The Climate Reality Project
  • Rocky Mountain Institute
  • Beyond Petrochemicals
  • Earthjustice
  • Healthy Gulf
  • Environment Texas
  • Environmental Integrity Project
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EDF team visits Brazil to expand Air Tracker, support clean air action

By Tammy Thompson / Published: July 3, 2024

What’s new: Our recent trip to Brazil in June gave EDF the opportunity to formalize partnerships with city and state officials in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as these megacities seek new ways to better track and address air pollution.

Alex Franco, Sergio Sanchez and I also met with city experts, academics and community members to discuss how Air Tracker can help these growing metro areas as they try to address persistent challenges from soot and other pollutants.

These cities pose new challenges for Air Tracker, such as integrating a global weather forecasting model for the Brazilian expansion and addressing data limitations in areas like modeling, emissions inventories and ambient air quality, but we’re looking forward to learning how we can adapt the tool to meet the needs of Brazil’s cities.

Why it matters: Most Brazilians (90%) live in cities, where air pollution levels exceed the World Health Organization’s recommendations. The Brazilian government is set to adopt a resolution in September that will establish gradually stricter standards for soot (PM2.5) and other air pollutants over the next 20 years. However, current air quality levels expose millions to unhealthy air. We hope our work there will help Brazil achieve its air quality goals to protect public health and serve as a model across the region.

The good news: Local, state, and national leaders are eager to tackle air pollution. EDF has partnered with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change since last year to enhance regulations and enforcement plans to help reduce air pollution on a national scale.

EDF has also partnered with local authorities in Rio de Janeiro (SMAC, Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Secretariat of Environment) and São Paulo (CETESB, the São Paulo State Environmental Agency) to deploy Air Tracker to analyze patterns in air pollution and learn how it moves through the city. This will help identify major sources and develop effective solutions. They’ve already given us a list of hotspots like industrial areas, warehouses where vehicles idle and traffic chokepoints where they feel Air Tracker can help make an impact.

Beyond that, we’re excited that local leaders are interested in connecting with community partners as well as state and health officials to build broad support for clean air solutions.

Our trip also gave us the opportunity to meet with nonprofit community leaders and academics from across Latin America at an air quality modeling conference, where Alex Franco presented on Air Tracker. These kinds of local connections will be critical as we improve Air Tracker, so it can meet the policy needs of Brazilian leaders and the residents they serve.

Go Deeper: This trip was made possible thanks to the Clean Air Fund and its generous support for the global expansion of Air Tracker. It’s also part of our ongoing efforts to reduce air pollution across Latin America and the Caribbean.

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Video: EDF and partners release report finding one in three New Jersey residents lives near a mega-warehouse

By Derek Schwabe / Published: June 26, 2024


What’s new: EDF released a new report tracing the growth of mega-warehouses and associated diesel truck pollution in New Jersey, building upon recent research in New York and Illinois. The launch event, held on June 18 and co-hosted by the Coalition for Healthy Ports NY/NJ, included a report overview from EDF, remarks by two state legislators and personal accounts from advocates all over the state (view the full recording above). The report found roughly one in three New Jersey residents lives within half a mile of a large warehouse of at least 50,000 square feet—the highest rate among states examined so far. Here are other key findings:

  • The report identified 3,034 warehouses in the state of New Jersey. 56% of those exceed 100,000 square feet (about the size of a standard big box retailer). Together, they generate at least 380,000 truck trips every day.
  • These warehouses collectively comprise 527 million square feet – up 35% in the last two decades.
  • 2.7 million people – about one in three – live within a half mile of these warehouses. Some 178,000 are under age five and 350,000 are over age 64.
  • Limited English populations are 1.9 times more likely to live within half a mile of these warehouses than expected, compared to statewide demographics. This group composes 0.02% of the total state population and 0.04% of warehouse neighbors.
  • Hispanic/Latino populations are 1.8 times more likely to live within half a mile of these warehouses than expected, compared to statewide demographics. This group composes 20.2% of the total state population and 36.7% of warehouse neighbors.
  • Low-income populations are 1.5 times more likely to live within half a mile of these warehouses than expected, compared to statewide demographics. This group composes 9.8% of the total state population and 14.8% of warehouse neighbors.
  • Black populations are 1.4 times more likely to live within half a mile of these warehouses than expected, compared to statewide demographics. This group composes 14.8% of the total state population and 21.1% of warehouse neighbors.
  • Indigenous American populations are 1.1 times more likely to live within half a mile of these warehouses than expected, compared to statewide demographics. This group composes 0.07% of the total state population and 0.08% of warehouse neighbors.

Why it matters: Although they play a vital role in the supply chain, diesel trucks emit significant pollution around warehouses while idling and traveling at low speeds. Regulations to protect health haven’t kept up. Research shows traffic-related air pollution increases childhood asthma risk. Asthma causes missed school days and is linked to poorer school performance. In the US, black children are nearly nine times more likely to be hospitalized and five times more likely to die from asthma compared to non-Hispanic white children. Diesel truck pollution also raises risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, dementia, heart disease, and stroke.

What’s next: policy solutions

The report arrives as state legislators consider the Warehouse and Port Pollution Reduction Act, a bill that would curb pollution at warehouses, ports and other truck attracting facilities by requiring them to implement concrete emission reduction measures. The bill would direct the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to establish flexible compliance options alongside permitting requirements to achieve these reductions, with higher thresholds for environmental justice communities.

Go deeper: Download the full report.

The New Jersey Warehouse Boom report builds on recent similar EDF analyses in New York and Illinois, as well as a 10-state report published in 2023. Please explore these resources to learn more.

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State of the Air Report shows America must work harder to fight pollution

By Tammy Thompson / Published: May 7, 2024

What’s new: The American Lung Association released its annual State of the Air report last month, showing that climate change is making it more difficult to clean up our polluted air. About one-third of all Americans were breathing unhealthy air in 2023—a greater number than in year’s past, despite gains made through ever improving vehicle, industrial, and oil and gas

emissions standards. And while these air pollution trends are another indication that a warming planet is having a negative impact on our daily lives, we still have tools within reach that can help improve air quality for millions both in the United States and around the world.  

Why it matters: As the planet warms, and wildfires become more common, high levels of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter, or soot) are reaching into corners of the country previously considered safe from such smoke. The impacts can seem like a nuisance for healthy individuals, but for those with health problems, a series of days dominated by wildfire smoke can be dangerous or even deadly.

In addition, growing numbers of hot, sunny days combined with increasing instances of high-pressure areas create the perfect conditions for ozone. In the United States, the Clean Air Act has helped reduce the amount of ozone precursors in the air and is driving down the number of people exposed to the highest number of ozone days. That has helped reduce the number of people living in counties with a failing ozone grades. However, despite that improvement, these hot, stagnant days are having a substantial impact on counties. In fact, twice as many U.S. counties are seeing air quality decline than are seeing improvement due to unhealthy levels of ozone.  

Most ever days with worst levels of particle pollution

Graphic from 2024 State of the Air Report, Courtesy of The American Lung Association.

What we can do about it: EPA recently strengthened the annual fine particle (PM2.5) standard to 9 micrograms per cubic meter and announced plans to improve monitoring. And while U.S. standards are moving in the right direction, they still do not meet those established by the World Health Organization, set at 5 micrograms per cubic meter averaged annually. Many cities met the old standard but do not meet this new strengthened federal standard. These cities represent areas where residents have been breathing unhealthy air due to human activity—not wildfires.  

Here’s a list of both government and scientific ways we can combat air pollution: 

  • We can lower pollution in the air by reducing its components like NOx, hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds (VOC)s, which are prevalent in both industrial activity and our cleaning supplies.   
  • We can conduct more studies of VOCs to determine how much they are contributing to poor air quality. 
  • We can use growing amounts of data to pinpoint hotspots, in order to better understand the sources of persistent pollution. These include data from new monitors that communities across the U.S. are now installing using the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act funds, as well as from satellites, which cover areas of the country that are not monitored at all.  

Beyond those actions, we can take personal steps to stay safe on days with high ozone and soot levels, by purchasing relatively inexpensive air filters that can go from room to room, cleaning both pollutants and allergens. It’s also possible to track both dangerous smoke and soot levels using a variety of free websites and apps, like AirNow.gov. Tools like EDF’s Air Tracker can also help us see how pollution travels to better understand its sources and impacts.  

While it’s true that impacts from climate change pose new challenges to our efforts to curb pollution, with the help of new tools and data, we can overcome them.  

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New EDF report reveals more than 2 million Illinois residents live near a mega-warehouse

By Derek Schwabe / Published: April 26, 2024


What’s new: EDF released a report this week, Illinois Warehouse Boom, which examines the growth of mega-warehouses and their health impacts in communities across Illinois, building on its recent research in New York. The launch event featured a report overview by EDF authors, personal accounts from community advocates and remarks from three state legislators (see full recording above). The report finds that at least one in six Illinois residents now lives within half a mile of a large warehouse of at least 100,000 square feet. Other key findings include:

  • More than 2 million Illinois residents – at least one in six – live within half a mile of a leased warehouse of at least 100,000 square feet.
  • Of those, 127,000 are under age five and 251,100 are over age 64.
  • At least 525,000 freight truck trips per day service a total of 2,401 leased mega-warehouses across the state.
  • Hispanic/Latino populations are 195% more likely to live within half a mile of a warehouse than would be expected, based on statewide statistics.
  • Black populations are 137% more likely to live within half a mile of a warehouse than would be expected, based on statewide statistics.
  • Low-income populations are 125% more likely to live within half a mile of a warehouse than would be expected, based on statewide statistics. This population composes 12.2% of the total population but makes up 15% of warehouse neighbors.

Why it matters: Diesel trucks emit significant pollution around warehouses while idling and while traveling at low speeds, and regulations to protect health haven’t kept up. A growing body of peer-reviewed research shows that exposure to traffic-related air pollution increases the risk of childhood asthma. Asthma is a leading cause of missed school days and has been linked to diminished school performance. Black children are nearly nine times more likely to be hospitalized for asthma and five times more likely to die from asthma, compared to non-Hispanic white children. Air pollution from diesel trucks is also associated with increased health risks at other stages of life. It raises the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, dementia, heart disease and stroke. 

What’s next: policy solutions

The report arrives as Illinois state legislators consider the Warehouse Pollution Insights Act, a bill that would bring greater transparency around mega-warehouses by requiring truck-attracting facilities to report information on warehouse ownership, truck trips and associated emissions to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). The bill would also expand IEPA’s truck and air quality monitoring capacity with a focus on high-impact communities, and require new facilities to include charging infrastructure to support electric freight vehicles.

Other policy responses have also been proposed, such as the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule, which would require truck manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission trucks and school buses. If implemented by 2027, the ACT rule could see approximately half of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles becoming zero-emission vehicles by 2050, according to a Northwestern University analysis supported by EDF.

Go deeper: Download the full report.

Also posted in Concerned Citizen, Environmental Justice, Government Official/Policymaker, Homepage, Monitoring, Partners, Public Health/Environmental Official, USA / Authors: / Comments are closed

Mobile monitoring reveals congestion effect for vehicle emissions in London

By lpadilla / Published: March 11, 2024

New study shows just how much congestion intensifies emissions from diesel vehicles  

In a recently published study, researchers from the University of York and Environmental Defense Fund show how traffic exacerbates nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution from road vehicles, in particular from intense emitters like diesel trucks and buses, pointing to solutions that can bring an outsize benefit to air quality.  

Comparing pollution with targeted monitoring  

EDF and York designed a study that measured air pollution along two distinct routes in the London metropolitan area—one that was extremely congested in Central London and the other farther from the city center where drivers experience more free-flowing conditions including some highway driving. The Central London route was identified as a pollution hotspot in the Breathe London Pilot project, which provided motivation for the new targeted study.  

Using York’s mobile monitoring laboratory equipped with fast-response instruments, we collected ambient measurements of both NOx and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) for two weeks along the two different routes to quantify the emission intensity of the London fleet, which included a wide range of vehicle types driving in both heavy congestion and light-traffic conditions. We also used dashboard video recordings to identify which specific vehicle types were the likely cause of hotspots.  

Using the latest analysis methods, we mapped the spatial patterns of persistent emission sources, while simultaneously revealing the attributes of the most significant emitters within the vehicle fleet. We found that NOx emissions were a factor of two times higher for fleets with a high proportion of diesel vehicles operating in congested driving conditions, and a factor of five times higher for intense emitters like SCR-retrofit diesel buses and heavy goods vehicles in stop-and-go traffic. 

We then compared our data to an existing database of measurements from remote sensors, which measure vehicle emissions more directly at the tailpipe, to verify our ambient data against an established reference. The comparison further demonstrated the congestion effect whereby fleets predominately composed of vehicles rated with the highest emission standards (Euro 6/VI) generated NOx pollution that would be expected from a fleet of lower standard vehicles (Euro 2/II-5/V), when impacted by high traffic. 

Our new approach allowed us to focus on the emission intensity of both the overall fleet and specific high-emitting vehicles and make comparisons to established measurements of real-world emissions. The results provided greater insight than standard measurements solely focused on total ambient concentrations.  

Real-time, high-frequency air pollution measurements.

Real-time, high-frequency air pollution measurements. (Photo taken by Shona Wilde)

New methods increase understanding with fewer resources 

Beyond illustrating the impact congestion has on emission intensity, the study shows the feasibility of extracting valuable insights from reasonably short mobile monitoring campaigns. Compared to previous large-scale studies, such as the ~1-year long Breathe London mobile study, this campaign was less resource intensive, requiring just two weeks of driving and reducing vehicle and instrument maintenance. This campaign simplified field logistics and increased the efficiency of the data analysis. The new method could also prove useful to scientists and policy makers who want to learn more about local fleet emissions under a variety of traffic conditions in places that aren’t currently well-monitored. Mobile monitoring provided a continuous picture of emissions along a route, not limited to individual locations like stationary monitors.  

This approach offers policy makers a new way to spot specific vehicle types and conditions that produce greater emission intensity, so they can develop targeted interventions and monitor progress over time in a cost-effective manner.  

While there is no substitute for knowing the exact vehicle emitting pollution, as one might find using remote sensing, this new technique provides useful information in places where remote sensing is either impossible or impractical. It’s also especially useful when exploring the impacts of congestion, as remote sensing is not well suited for stop-and-go traffic.  

While the project focused on London, the methods and insights developed can be useful for other cities, particularly those where there are diesel vehicles operating in heavy traffic. 

Practical policy applications 

Because this method identifies the effects of the highest-polluting vehicles in the most congested areas, it gives local transportation officials a clear roadmap to develop the most impactful solutions.  

The adverse effect of congestion on tailpipe emissions can be eliminated with the transition to electric vehicles, which has added benefits for the climate, especially for heavy-duty diesel trucks and buses. Officials could also consider introducing solutions like restricting operating hours for these vehicles in high-traffic areas or creating bus lanes, both of which could ease congestion. The approach could help determine which city-owned vehicles need to come in for maintenance to restore performance of aging exhaust aftertreatment technology. 

In cities that already implement clean air zones and technology retrofit programs, air quality can improve even further if high congestion can be better addressed in places where diesel vehicles operate. In London, where the ULEZ has already helped reduce ambient Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) concentrations, accelerating replacement of the most potent polluters with electric vehicles, starting with the most congested routes, would provide additional climate, health and mobility benefits improving the driving experience for everyone. 

To learn more about the study, read the article in Atmospheric Environment: X.  

Also posted in Academic, Concerned Citizen, Environmental Justice, Government Official/Policymaker, Homepage, Monitoring, Public Health/Environmental Official, Science, UK / Authors: / Comments are closed