air pollution

7 of the Greenest Small Towns in America

7 of the Greenest Small Towns in America

Much of the coverage of environmental policy focuses on the actions of countries, states or major cities like New York or Paris. But a community doesn’t have to be large to make a difference for the planet or their local ecosystems. Here are seven of the U.S.’s greenest small towns and cities. Ithaca, New York […]

Join our newsletter

The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    Microplastics 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Microplastics 101: Everything You Need to Know

    Quick Key Facts We use a lot of plastic.  Since the 1950s, more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic has been produced by humans. All in all, only 9% of these plastics have actually been recycled, and the rest has either been incinerated or landed up in landfills — and, in many cases, in the […]

    EPA to Fund Network of Centers to Help Marginalized Communities Access Environmental Justice Money

    EPA to Fund Network of Centers to Help Marginalized Communities Access Environmental Justice Money

    Days into his presidency, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14008, mandating that 40 percent of federal climate, environment and energy funding go towards disadvantaged communities that have been exposed to more than their fair share of pollution. But how will these communities actually access this money?  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Thursday […]

    New EPA Car Pollution Standards Could Lead to 67% New EV Sales by 2032

    New EPA Car Pollution Standards Could Lead to 67% New EV Sales by 2032

    In 2022, electric vehicles (EVs) made up just 5.8 percent of new car sales. But that number could jump as high as 67 percent by 2032 if the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) follows through with tough new tailpipe emissions standards.  The new standards, which were shared with The New York Times Saturday by […]

    Which Cities and Countries Have the Unhealthiest Air?

    Which Cities and Countries Have the Unhealthiest Air?

    Swiss air quality technology company IQAir released its fifth annual assessment of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 pollution in cities, nations and regions around the world and found that only six countries met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) updated safe levels of the deadly air pollutant.

    U.S. Lawsuit Seeks to Force Two Major Companies to Significantly Reduce Emissions From ‘Cancer Alley’ Plant

    U.S. Lawsuit Seeks to Force Two Major Companies to Significantly Reduce Emissions From ‘Cancer Alley’ Plant

    The U.S. filed a complaint last week against two companies behind a highly polluting petrochemical plant in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley.”  The Pontchartrain Works facility makes neoprene, a synthetic rubber used for everything from laptop covers to wetsuits. But to do this, it releases chloroprene, a likely carcinogen that is the main reason that the majority […]