Via BBC News "Ozone has 'strong climate effect'"

Our friends across the pond seem to be far less skeptical about climate change than those of us here in the USA. That is why it doesn't surprise me to see this report from the BBC.

Ozone could be a much more important driver of climate change than scientists had previously predicted, according to a study in Nature journal.

The authors say the effects of this greenhouse gas - known by the formula O3 - have been largely overlooked.

Ozone near the ground damages plants, reducing their ability to mop up carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.

As you may or may not know, one of the major sources of ground level ozone is tailpipe emissions from cars. Another reason to encourage public transportation, walkable communities, and a safer environment for bicycling. Look for a future forum event on the subject of using the bicycle for daily transportation needs, including getting the groceries and hauling the kids around! Click on the title above for a link to the whole article.

Protect our Kids From New Freeway Pollution!

Help get the word out on the dangers to children from the health risks of the Mountain View Corridor. Click on the poster at right to ENLARGE. -->>

As several recent scientific studies have shown, children living near freeways are at extreme risk for severe health problems. For example, children within 250 yards from a freeway are 8-times more likely to develop leukemia and 6-times more likely to develop other cancers. In addition, children aged 12-18 living within 500 meters from a freeway are at highest risk for permanent deformities in lung development. There are also many other studies.

The proposed 8-lane freeway of the Mountain View Corridor (MVC) would travel along 5800 West in Salt Lake County. It will place several neighborhoods and schools in this deadly zone of distance next to this new freeway. Whittier and Hillside elementary schools and Hunter high school specifically would be inside this zone. [MVC would also split Lehi yet again, pollute the air, create health problems, create noise pollution and hurt residential property values. -Chair]

In the beginning of planning, UDOT appeared to be looking at new rail transit along 5600 West with the Mountain View Corridor studies. However, we have recently found that they have scrapped any new transit plans for this area until over a quarter of a century from now and have proposed the freeway to be even wider. Transit and non-freeway road expansion is the only solution to keep our children safe from these concentrated pollution threats.

Please contact me with any questions.

Marc Heileson, Sierra Club, (801) 467-9294, marc.heileson@sierraclub.org