#AQI

[polyphonetic]

My friend made an interesting UQuiz!

It's good practice for clocking AI images, has a variety of photograph-like and art-like renders along with real images and photographs. The nom-AI images are cited and carefully verified so you can see who made them :)

Unrelated to this, this friend also made a cool tool a few years back that lets you convert exposure to particular AQI for lengths of time into the equivalent number of cigarettes in terms of impact to your health!

[reasonsforhope]

"Proving that change is possible if the will to create it is present, Chinese megacities like Beijing that were once famous for their apocalyptic grey skies are enjoying the lowest levels of air pollution they’ve experienced in the 21st century.

Falling 42% from an average high in 2013 when Chinese air pollution was higher than 50 particles per cubic centimeters of city air, the change has increased the lifespan of Chinese urbanites by 2.2 years.

The news comes from a report published by the University of Chicago called the Air Quality Life Index which listed some of the actions taken by the Chinese government to reduce air pollution, described by the CCP as a “war on pollution.”

This has included reducing the presence of heavy industry like steel production in city centers, as well as restricting coal power plants from being built inside cities while shuttering those that were already there.

Some cities like Beijing have reduced the number of cars allowed on the roads during peak hours, similar to London’s congestion charge. Lastly, China’s mass urban tree-planting campaigns have been well documented.

While the life expectancy has risen on average 2.2 years, some cities have seen far more drastic increases. Citizens living under the new “Beijing Blue,” are predicted to live 4 additional years, while those 11 million in the north-central city of Baoding are predicted to gain 6.

“At the foundation of those actions were common elements: political will and resources, both human and financial, that reinforced each other,” the report said. “When the public and policymakers have these tools, action becomes much more likely.”

In fact, the decline in China’s pollution levels has been so drastic that it lowered the world average, which the report says would have increased if not for the Middle Kingdom’s war on pollution.

Although Chinese city air is still several times higher than the WHO’s recommended minimum, it shows what’s accomplishable with political and civic effort—particularly to its neighbors in South Asia where the report warns air quality is worsening."

-via Good News Network, September 1, 2023

[sea-salted-wolverine]

How badly do I need to leave the house? Like. I need to go grocery shopping. But do I really need to go.

small silver lining: watching tourists show up to their vacation at the threshold of hell

[cheriafreya]

Muyue taking care of Aqi before and after his transformation

[heatheniousmaterials]

In case anyone is wondering how it's going in California...

[creations-by-chaosfay]

The AQI in my area is at 111, and an hour ago it was 92. Anything over 45 will have me struggling, and right now I can barely talk because it takes so much effort.

If you're in the US and finding it difficult to breathe, check the AQI.

[kingsleeeee]

Who had “death smog” on their 2023 bingo card? Anybody?

[mswyrr]

I'm pleased to learn that 60 Minutes did this quality piece on clean indoor air just a few months ago. Watching it, I was so delighted to see how well they'd researched and the experts they interviewed. 👍

If you're curious about why some of us are so committed to the idea of clean indoor air standards this is 13 minutes that covers the basics.

It could prevent harm from pathogens, indoor pollutants, impacts of climate change like smoke from wildfires, and help people with allergies as well as helping people focus at work and school by dropping the amount of co2 they're breathing. It both supports the health of everyone and particularly helps folks with many types of disabilities.

[discrepancybot]

I was checking out the AQI (Air Quality Index) for places around the world and one had me do a double take.

A monitoring station at Burari Crossing, New Delhi currently has a reading of 1739.

For comparison: Istanbul's AQI is 61, Kyiv's is 57, Nairobi's is 55, Lima's is also 55, Seoul's is 50, London's is 44, NYC's is 40, and Vancouver's is 15.

An AQI of 1739 for 24 hours is the equivalent of smoking 83.61 cigarettes.

[timallenphoto]

Habitual Consumption by Tim Allen

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[sea-salted-wolverine]

I need you to hop on fire/airnow.gov and really appreciate all those green dots in your area. I'm serious. Try it, zoom around the country and really get a feel for the nations air quality.

Then swing up into Alaska and visit me with all the red and purple and maroon dots and really really appreciate your green dots.

[kosmosxipo]

Drawing some bugs

[pandemichub]

(MSN AQI (Air Quality Index) Map)

Please visit MSN AQI (or other AQI maps. The Weather channel and AccuWeather are also fantastic) map on desktop or laptop for all areas under advisory and warning.

Advisory and warnings issued for parts of the east coast, Ontario and Quebec however other parts of the U.S. as well and as far Midwest as Michigan and Minnesota.

Wildfires have been linked to increased COVID cases and deaths. (Link).

PPE such as respirators, HEPA air purifiers, sealing windows and other areas within a home, hotel or other buildings to seal off outdoor smoke are all helpful to protect oneself and reduce exposure to the particles released and circulating from the wild fires.

An excellent thread of advice, please click on "view on Twitter" to be directed to read it in full.

Finally,

[kat-ryn]

Pics I took of the wildfire smoke coming over where I live. The worst was around 3 or 4pm when the pics are most orange and then in the last pic after it passed over more.

[rosierabbitart]

You know you’re in for a fun time when you get a gas mask for your air quality rating.