US EPA launches new review of ozone air quality

Due to the strong US EPA emission standards, which also include ozone, ozone has decreased by 7 per cent between 2010 and 2022. The areas not meeting the 2015 standards need further mitigation action. The EPA has initiated new federal emission standards for cars and trucks and strengthened the rules to reduce volatile organic compounds (a precursor to ozone) from the oil and gas industry, as well as other mitigations. The overall reductions in ozone precursors amount to hundreds of thousands of tons, with estimated health benefits adding up to billions of dollars. The US EPA established current standards at a level of 70 parts per billion in 2015 and retained them at this level in 2020 after concluding that there was little new information to suggest the need for revision. The corresponding Advisory Committee CASAC has now identified studies published more recently and recommended that the EPA conduct additional risk analyses that might support more stringent standards.

Environmental Protection Agency, August 21, 2023
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-initiates-new-review-ozone-national...

In this issue

Editorial: EU climate target still not adapted to climate reality

On 8 September, the UN once again issued a report showing how governments are failing to take adequate action to implement the promises they made in the Paris Agreement. The so-called Synthesis Report on the Technical Dialogue from the First Global Stocktake showed how governments are good at making ambitious collective commitments but fail to take the right action at home to turn these collective pledges into a reality.

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The importance and role of forests in Poland

A varity of forest types in Poland play an important role in the country's ecosystem and cultural heritage.

Poland is home to a variety of forest types, which cover an area of nearly 9.3 million hectares and account for 29.6% of the country’s total land area. These forests play an important role in the country’s ecosystem, economy and cultural heritage. The forests are dominated by coniferous species, which together cover 76.6% of the area. These include pine, larch, spruce and fir. Deciduous species appear on 23.4% of the area.

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