According to the latest State of the Global Climate 2024 report from the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the world experienced 152 unprecedented and 297 unusual extreme events related to climate change last year. 

Topping the list of extreme events were heat waves, with 137 events, followed by extreme rain and wet spells (115 events), flooding (104 events), tropical cyclones (47) and drought (44). 

In total, these events were linked to 1.1 million people injured, 1,700 deaths and 824,500 people displaced. As The Guardian reported, the number of people displaced by extreme climate events in 2024 was the highest annual number since 2008, when the records began. These events also lead to worsening food insecurity and major economic losses as well as environmental devastation.

In addition, the report revealed that the Earth is now experiencing alarming climate extremes that may be irreversible for hundreds or thousands of years, with the rate of sea level rise doubling between when satellite records began to 2024.

According to the study, 18 of the lowest amounts of Arctic sea ice happened in the past 18 years, while in the Antarctic, the three lowest levels of sea ice extent happened in the past three years. Global glacier mass reached a record-high three-year loss in the past three years as well. Further, ocean heat reached a new record each year for the past eight years.

The amount of sea level rise and ocean warming could be irreversible for at least hundreds of years, WMO reported.

WMO also confirmed earlier expectations of 2024 being the warmest year in a 175-year-old record, noting that the global mean near-surface temperature was about 1.55 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial times.

“While a single year above 1.5°C of warming does not indicate that the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement are out of reach, it is a wake-up call that we are increasing the risks to our lives, economies and to the planet,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a press release.

Although there has been a short-term breach of the 1.5 degree Celsius target outlined in the Paris Agreement, WMO reported that long-term warming is still below 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. However, the Earth is nearing that limit, especially with carbon dioxide emissions reaching their highest level in 800,000 years and the 10 warmest years ever recorded happening in the last decade. According to WMO estimates, long-term warming is around 1.34 to 1.41 degrees Celsius compared to 1850-1900.

“Our planet is issuing more distress signals — but this report shows that limiting long-term global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius is still possible,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement. “Leaders must step up to make it happen — seizing the benefits of cheap, clean renewables for their people and economies — with new National climate plans due this year.”

Additionally, WMO noted that investments in early warning systems will be essential in better protecting people from the worsening effects of climate change.

“We are making progress but need to go further and need to go faster,” Saulo said. “Only half of all countries worldwide have adequate early warning systems. This must change.”

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Cambridge, Massachusetts has joined a growing list of cities that have banned gas-powered leaf blowers. The city’s ban went into effect over the weekend, and officials noted this move was in the interest of public health and reducing emissions for the environment.

Cambridge first passed the Leaf Blower Ordinance back in December 2023, but the ban took effect starting March 15 to give property owners time to change to alternative equipment. The ban currently applies to private use of leaf blowers, and residents will need to use electric or rechargeable battery-powered leaf blowers rather than gas. The leaf blowers also need to meet sound level requirements in the city’s ordinance to reduce noise pollution.

On March 15, 2026, the ban will extend and begin applying to the use of leaf blowers in professional landscaping as well. The city has compiled a list of businesses that already meet the electric or battery-powered leaf blower requirements, which could be helpful for customers looking for a greener lawn care option.

However, some people have voiced concerns over increasing landscaping costs and lower power from electric models compared to gas. 

Keri Brown, co-owner of R&S Landscaping, one of the companies in the list of compliant businesses, told The Boston Globe that using electric leaf blowers can take about 20% to 50% more time to clear out leaves compared to gas but that this was “a sign of the times,” and “It was going to happen, sooner or later.”

Some landscaping experts also said that residents may need to relax their expectations for picture-perfect landscaping as the city transitions to electric leaf blowers.

“Prices will go up for maintenance in Cambridge if people want the same garden aesthetic that they have,” Catherine Brownlee, managing director of Landscape Collaborative, Inc., another company on the compliant list, told The Boston Globe. “It’s just going to take a lot more time.”

Brownlee told The Boston Globe that some residents of Cambridge have already complained when comparing to lawns that used gas-powered leaf blowers, but a city-wide move to electric leaf blowers could change some minds that are more accepting of less pristine lawns.

To lower the costs for businesses and, by extension, consumers, Massachusetts State Representative Michelle Ciccolo has submitted a petition for a law that would offer tax credits for the purchase of electric landscaping equipment, such as leaf blowers, for small landscaping businesses, Clean Technica reported. 

The proposed legislation would “reduce the business’s tax liability for that year by 40% of the cost of purchasing said low noise, low emissions equipment up to an annual total of no more than ten thousand dollars.”

While the initial cost to transition equipment could be high, Clean Technica reported that the long-term costs could be lower, with daily fuel costs lowering by up to two-thirds when there is no longer a need to buy gas.

According to the government of Cambridge, switching to electric or battery-powered leaf blowers could reduce noise pollution, improve air quality and minimize harms to the environment. The government noted that the noise is disruptive to humans and wildlife, and the stronger airflower from gas-powered leaf blowers can damage topsoil and plants. Further, the emissions from using a gas-powered leaf blower for one hour is nearly equivalent to the emissions from driving a light-duty passenger car for 1,100 miles, according to the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

“I wish the whole state would move to it,” Cambridge City Councilor Patricia Nolan told The Boston Globe. “It makes no sense that we would allow something to continue to be used that’s clearly harmful to wildlife, to the soil, and to plants, and also to public health and worker safety.”

Cambridge is joining many other cities — and the state of California — in enacting bans on gas-powered leaf blowers and other polluting landscaping equipment. As The Associated Press reported, Montclair, New Jersey; Portland, Oregon; Burlington, Vermont; and Evanston, Illinois have passed bans along with Washington, DC and Montgomery County in Maryland.

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Microplastics are entering the human body through the ingesting of seafood, drinking water and even by inhaling particles in the air. These plastic particles have been detected in the human gut, blood, lungs and brain.

Now, a team of researchers has found another potential pathway for microplastics to enter the bloodstream: medical bags used for infusions. According to a new study published in Environment & Health, a single 8.4 ounce (250 milliliter) medical infusion bag could release 7,500 microplastic particles — sized 1 to 62 micrometers long — into a person’s blood.

Medical infusion bags can be used to provide intravenous (IV) fluids such as water, nutrients, electrolytes or medicine, as the American Chemical Society reported. Previous research from the 1970s found that these infusion bags may contain solid particles, which prompted researchers of the newly published study to investigate whether these particles could be microplastics. 

Medical infusion bags are typically made from polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic elastomers(TPE) or ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). PP is one of the most common materials, because it seals well, holds up to impacts, is resistant to chemical corrosion and is transparent.

To determine whether medical infusion bags may release microplastics, researchers tested two different brands of commercial infusion bags, both made from PP, containing IV saline solutions. They allowed each bag to drip from an infusion tube into separate glass beakers, which were covered with aluminum foil to prevent outside particles from interfering.

After collecting the liquid, the team filtered and condensed the samples in order to count and analyze the plastic particles detected under a microscope. They used this total to then estimate the amount of microplastics for each entire medical infusion bag.

The samples collected from both brands included PP microplastics, and based on the analysis, the team determined that one bag could release around 7,500 microplastic particles into the bloodstream during an infusion. When more fluids are needed to treat ailments such as dehydration or during procedures such as abdominal surgery, this total could increase substantially.

Heat illness, nausea, diarrhea and similar instances that require IV fluids could lead to a release of around 24,375 to 30,000 microplastics. With severe dehydration requiring about 4.2 to 5.6 liters of water infusion for a person weighing an average 60 to 80 kilograms (132 to 176 pounds), medical infusion bags could release 31,500 to 42,000 microplastic particles into the blood, the study determined. These findings become more concerning as the world continues to break heat records and risk of heat-related illnesses and deaths rises.

In some cases, such as an abdominal surgery, higher IV fluid requirements mean that as much as 52,500 microplastics could be released into a patient’s bloodstream.

The study authors noted that additional analyses will need to investigate any differences in microplastic presence among a wider range of brands, different batches, batches made in different facilities, bags made from different materials or even differing qualities of PP, storage conditions and other factors. Additionally, more research is needed to further evaluate the health risks of microplastics.

To limit the amount of microplastic breakdown, the authors wrote that temperature and UV light exposure should be highly considered when storing the medical bags, as higher temperatures and more light exposure can degrade the PP material.

“Potentially effective measures include the use of highly efficient micrometer- or submicrometer-level filtration systems during intravenous infusion and enhanced monitoring across the medical device and pharmaceutical supply chain to meet stringent safety standards,” the authors concluded. “Additionally, innovative infusion system designs using materials resistant to MP shedding and optimized closed systems may significantly minimize external contamination.”

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Most countries around the world have air quality that is worse than the guidelines set by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the latest World Air Quality Report by IQAir.

The seventh-annual World Air Quality Report collected data from 40,000 air quality monitoring stations across 138 countries, territories and regions. The results revealed that only seven countries meet the annual average guideline for fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, of 5 micrograms per cubic meter (5 µg/m3) as set by WHO. The countries that meet this target include Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Estonia, Grenada, Iceland and New Zealand.

Further, the report found that just 17% of all cities globally meet WHO’s air pollution guidelines with Mayaguez, Puerto Rico topping the list of cities with the cleanest air. The city had an annual average of 1.1 µg/m3 of PM2.5 levels for 2024. 

In terms of regions, IQAir found that Oceania had the world’s cleanest air, with 57% of cities in this region having 5 µg/m3 or less annual average PM2.5 levels.

The report also detailed countries and cities with the poorest air quality levels. The five countries with the worst air quality included Chad with 91.8 µg/m3, Bangladesh with 78 µg/m3, Pakistan with 73.7 µg/m3, Democratic Republic of the Congo with 58.2 µg/m3 and India with 50.6 µg/m3. 

Further, IQAir noted that of the 138 countries, territories and regions surveyed, 126 (or over 91%) surpassed the WHO guideline for fine particulates.

The city with the most polluted air in 2024 was Byrnihat, India, which reached an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 µg/m3. In the U.S., Los Angeles was the most-polluted major city, while Ontario, California was the most-polluted city of any size overall in the country.

Based on the findings, IQAir highlighted the importance of expanding air quality monitoring sites to collect more data that can inform policies to curb pollution.

“Air pollution remains a critical threat to both human health and environmental stability, yet vast populations remain unaware of their exposure levels,” Frank Hammes, Global CEO of IQAir, said in a statement. “Air quality data saves lives. It creates much needed awareness, informs policy decisions, guiding public health interventions, and empowers communities to take action to reduce air pollution and protect future generations.”

As The Guardian reported, there is no determined safe level of PM2.5. Fine particulate matter can come from fire smoke, smoke from wood-burning stoves or fireplaces, vehicle exhaust, industry processes and more, according to Environment Protection Authority Victoria. Because of the small size of the particles, PM2.5 can enter the lungs and bloodstream. Over time, exposure to high levels of PM2.5 can lead to negative health impacts — including impaired cognitive functioning and reduced lung functioning in children and increased risk of worsening heart disease, increased risk of lung cancer, and impaired cognitive functioning in adults — and has been linked to premature death, as reported by the American Lung Association.

“Air pollution doesn’t kill us immediately — it takes maybe two to three decades before we see the impacts on health, unless it’s very extreme,” Hammes told The Guardian. “[Avoiding it] is one of those preventative things people don’t think about till too late in their lives.”

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In London, the implementation and expansion of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has reduced air pollution by decreasing amounts of nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter and carbon emissions, according to new data by City Hall reviewed by independent air quality experts.

In total, air quality in London is improving at a faster rate compared to the rest of England, and the ULEZ has reduced enough carbon emissions to equal the impact of removing 3 million one-way passenger trips from Heathrow Airport to New York City, according to the report.

The Ultra-Low Emission Zone was first implemented in 2019, when it became the first low-emission zone to operate 24/7. In February 2023, a peer-reviewed study by the London mayor’s office showed that the zone was working after an initial expansion to include inner London. At that point, the zone had led to a 21% decrease in nitrogen dioxide levels in inner London and a 46% reduction in these emissions in central London. That report also found a decline in fine particulate matter and carbon emissions both inside the ULEZ and across London entirely.

In August 2023, the ULEZ was expanded again to cover the entire city, with expectations that this move would improve air quality for 5 million more people living in London’s outer boroughs. The ULEZ is now the largest low-emission zone globally.

Now, new data proves the expanded low-emission zone has made serious improvements to the air quality in and around the city, including a 27% decline in nitrogen dioxide levels, across London.

“When I was first elected, evidence showed it would take 193 years to bring London’s air pollution within legal limits if the current efforts continued. However, due to our transformative policies we are now close to achieving it this year,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a statement. “Today’s report shows that ULEZ works, driving down levels of pollution, taking old polluting cars off our roads and bringing cleaner air to millions more Londoners.”

The report revealed that fine particulate matter levels were 31% lower in the outer boroughs of London than they would have been without the expansion, and air quality has improved at 99% of city-wide air quality monitoring sites since 2019.

According to data from Transport for London (TfL), the number of ULEZ-compliant vehicles in London is now 96.7%, compared to just 39% in February 2017 and 91.6% in June 2023. There are about 100,000 fewer non-compliant vehicles per day on average in London as of September 2024 compared to June 2023, just before the ULEZ was expanded to cover the entire city. 

Officials noted the transition to cleaner vehicles is in part thanks to the ULEZ scrappage program, which offered a total of £200 million ($258.37 million) in grants for people who wanted to either retrofit non-compliant vehicles, scrap them with goals of buying a cleaner vehicle, or donate the older vehicles to Ukraine. The program received over 54,000 applications.

For critics concerned over economic impacts of the ULEZ on local tourism and businesses, officials noted that retail and leisure spending weren’t impacted by the expansion, and visitor footfall even increased nearly 2% since the zone was expanded to cover the outer boroughs.

To further improve London’s air quality, the city is also adding more “zero-emission” buses, offering free and discounted public transportation opportunities, expanding cycling networks and installing more EV charging infrastructure. The mayor has set a target for at least 80% of trips in the city to be made by walking, cycling or riding public transportation by 2041.

“Improving air quality through initiatives like the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London is crucial for protecting public health and reducing the burden of disease,” Dr. Maria Neira, director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the World Health Organization (WHO), said in a statement. “Cleaner air leads to healthier communities, lower rates of respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, and a better quality of life for all residents.”

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