A combination of expected high temperatures, light winds and vehicle exhaust has prompted Bay Area air district officials to issue a Spare the Air smog alert for Monday.
The alert, the 12th issued for smog so far this year, was triggered by a high-system moving into the Bay Area causing conditions that will lead to elevated concentrations of ozone, according to the Air District.
“As hotter weather becomes the new normal, it’s critical that we end our dependency on solo driving,” said Jack Broadbent, executive director of the Air District in a written statement. “Vehicle exhaust contributes to
air pollution and climate change, threatening the significant improvements we’ve made in air quality over the past 60 years.”
Bay Area residents are advised to only exercise in the early morning hours when ozone concentrations are lower.
Hotter weather is the new normal in the summer? Read about the temperatures in the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. They were much higher for 4 or 5 years.
Look at the heat wave index published by the EPA. It is only 100 years old. It shows the dust bowl spike. The planet is 4 billion years old. Modern mans memory is about as large as a mosquitos brain in comparison.
I may have accidentally cut short my response or deleted it altogether, so I’ll try again. Temperatures during the Dust Bowl were NOT higher than “the new normal.” The heat wave index does not measure temperatures but is a function of the consecutive number of days (usually around 4 or 5) where the temperature exceeds the average over time (usually 10 years).
I think you are referring to the High and Low Temperatures chart in the Climate Change Indicators section of the EPA website. Right above that link are links to average temperatures worldwide and in the US. They show significantly higher average temperatures in the 2010s over the Dust Bowl era but only go through around 2015. Average temperatures have continued to increase with July 2019 being the hottest month on record.
Note also that there are other ways of measuring temperatures over much, much longer periods of time than what is shown in the charts on the website.
This is BS. Broadbent must not have been in this area in the ‘50s when it was hot in the summer. This is a scam to take more governmental (unelected) control over our lives. Fire Hack Broadbent!!
Ha ha ha.
Broadbent tries to justify his place in the world.
Fail.
Meanwhile: Baaaaah, baaaaah, baaaah!
Wake up.
No Gas Leaf Blowing Please. You are polluting the air worse than automobiles. Leaves never hurt anyone and make good mulch for soil.
Thank you
Do you want some Leafs for compost, I got plenty.
They’re called “seasons”, Jack
I’m still going to enjoy my smoked Ribs and Brisked today. Life is grand !
BBQ smoke does not harm air quality… it enhances it.
All the gardeners are still going to do their route, in my neighbor hood it business as usual, leaf blowers and all.
Does anyone’s daily agenda really change all that much when there is an STA day?
Perhaps a few local driving trips are postponed. A few folks may put off mowing the lawn.
Does traffic diminish? To workers stop working?
People with breathing concerns sure change their routines.
Otherwise, it’s business as usual.
Am putting off getting car smog checked.
Jack Broadbent… he & others may well be criminally charged. Whistleblower lawsuit in play, over unauthorized shredding of documents showing refineries and others violations swept under the rug.
Could spare the air day have anything to do with the hot air from DeSaulnier’s meeting last week?
After my dinner from my smoker, I’m going to fire up a cigar and go on a cruz in my 63 gas guzzling Cadillac .