Rf@richardfriedman.net What's going on in India? Why are farmers burning their fields? Did you know the enormous city of Chennai almost ran out of water in 2019? Coca-Cola is a major polluter. Maybe it's time I abandon my favorite beverage? Talk is cheap. {00:54} Stubble Burning {06:00} Chennai {08:22} Hero of the Week {10:35} Villian of the Week {11:23} In the MiX, Boaty McBoatface, Rudy, Lucy, and a romantic movie {21:01} Scientist Birthday You can find my books here with the links to find your favorite retailer. Climate Fiction novels: Escape to Canamith https://books2read.com/u/bWP9y1 The Two Worlds of Billy Callahan https://books2read.com/u/mvnvLX Cli/Fi short stories- A Climate Carol and Other Cli-Fi Short Stories. Available in print or audiobook. https://books2read.com/u/38roQL https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/Edit?token=X_TIB7BX9Vkn7TdapooG9E8f8VsH3RvIDf00TcuQX-irvzHXaR5ez3YA6xFLzqqOqbP12Spj6_tEr-nrG_LlSC3AGu4andloadFrom=DocumentDeeplinkandts=8.72 (00:08): Welcome to a breath of fresh earth, taking the commitment to a clean environment, to the next level. Your host, Rick Friedman will Chrome the climate hero and villain of the week. Along with discussing worldwide environmental issues, showcasing new products, designed with the longevity of our planet in mind and putting the spotlight on the individuals, making a big impact in helping the climate and pollution crisis through social media. Now, your host, Rick Friedman Santa Claus (https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/Edit?token=Z6_n2S6VoG3OcCds0JKy9fwwIuskOetk2rCaULpcvn8AG07hc1maQ2Qmc9EYLE4EMx3Gb5lpcbE_f8aPVwYzwGnn7yMandloadFrom=DocumentDeeplinkandts=49.1 (00:49)): [inaudible] Rick (https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/Edit?token=jZm9BM6oyb61jYqBSsfF9GUJGTyK1Aek8Cn1Ii8gnxxzyc0Drwww4zqHrGb0qAiZkrcxk4VdO_HKEPv-CjQl8SUANYoandloadFrom=DocumentDeeplinkandts=53.75 (00:53)): Pollution in Delhi. India is a major problem. The situation is aggravated by delhi's geography. The city is landlocked and it sits in a kind of a natural bowl surrounded by industrial and agricultural areas. There's no coastal breeze. So the pollution just hovers over the city to emissions from cars and trucks and even dust from the roadside contributes almost 80% of the particulate matter. That nasty 2.5 that we talk about and then to make it even worse. Once a year at harvest time farmers across the neighboring States set fire to their fields to clear them for the next season. That's known as stubble burning. I'll have more about that in a minute. Back to Delhi, the public works department installed 23 anti-smog guns throughout the city and 150 water tankers that sprinkle water on the trees, roads, and construction sites all over the city. This year, they've sprayed over 7 million liters of water. Rick (https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/Edit?token=C9283TCp7hHvMImLAW7xbQR29n01zqSKE2tM6qAtAMYg0vx14we1kcSMcfimtMOyptKt0z5OjYQUHwthzKh1HE_copMandloadFrom=DocumentDeeplinkandts=109.46 (01:49)): We'll talk about a water shortage in India in a minute. So what are they doing? They're spraying water into the air, hoping that it sticks to some of the particulate matter and it falls to the ground like what rain does. Of course rain lowers the level of air pollution, but this is just a cheap attempt and a waste of time and money and resources fix the problem. Don't cover it up with a squirt gun, a big squirt gun, but still it's just spraying water. The best solution obviously would be to reduce the pollution at their source. Yeah, it'll be expensive to fix India's air pollution problem, just like anybody, but people are dying in huge numbers in India from air pollution in 2019 more than 1.5 million people died from air pollution. All right. So let's talk about stubble burning. I never even heard that phrase until last year. Rick... Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/a-breath-of-fresh-earth/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy