Protected: [OPINION] Biomass Energy Threatens Public Health

– by Julie Williams, February 8, 2018, WLUC
Photo: Julie Williams / WLUC
The Ripley plant at Northern Michigan University supplies steam to most of campus and plays a critical part in keeping Northern and its students comfortable.
“We provide all of the heat to all the buildings that don’t have their own boilers and it heats water, it heats air and also provides some steam for humidification,” said Gisele Duehring, Associate Director of Facilities.
Ripley expanded with a biomass plant in 2012 and 2013 that cost roughly 16 million dollars but right now it is not being used.
– by Dr. Michael Mehta, Thompson Rivers University
Photo: Science Nordic
This study will explore how wood smoke activists from around the world have engaged in advocacy work to improve local air quality.
SURVEY LINK: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/wood_smoke_activists
This research will provide such individuals with a comprehensive review of their situation and how it differs from others.
The research also expands on social movements research by examining a new and emerging class of actors who have been relatively ignored in the social science literature.
You must be at least 18 years of age to participate in this study.
The study is being performed by Dr. Michael Mehta at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Mehta is a Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies, and he is cross-listed with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. He can be reached by email at mmehta@tru.ca or by telephone at (250) 852-7275 for any questions that you may have about this study.
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[WINTER 2017/2018] Inside the EPA-Certified Wood Stove Debate
FEATURE ARTICLE: Can EPA Wood Stoves Cut Indoor Air Pollution?
OPINION (PRO): EPA Wood Stoves Reduce Air Emissions
OPINION (CON): EPA Wood Stoves Still Pollute
– October 23, 2017, Global Construction Review
A commission set up by British medical journal The Lancet has published a report on the global impact of pollution on the health of populations and the output of their economies. This finds that pollution was responsible for 9 million premature deaths in 2015, and 16% of all deaths worldwide.
Overall, pollution was responsible for three times as many deaths as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria combined, and 15 times more deaths than war and other forms of violence. In economic terms, it reduced GDP in low and middle-income countries by up to 2% a year and accounted for 1.7% of annual health spending in high-income countries. Welfare losses due to pollution are estimated to amount to $4.6 trillion per year, or 6.2% of global economic output.