Air pollution

City authorities scrap old cars taken off the road after failing the annual inspections, at a junkyard in Beijing on April 28, 2009. Air pollution in China's cities remains very serious, as a recent a survey conducted in November 2008 in 320 cities, said the average air quality in two out of five Chinese cities ranged from "polluted" to "hazardous", with car exhaust fumes playing a large role in air pollution in the country's big and medium-sized cities.

Kosovo albanians work at an open coal mine near the town of Obilic on April 24, 2009. Air pollution in Pristina has passed all legal norms of environmental pollution regulations. While in the world�s developed countries air pollution is permitted to pass its limits only 18 times during a year, Pristina reaches this limit within three months. Experts at the Institute for Public Health warn that this pollution factor is decreasing people�s life expectancy.

Kosovo Albanians work at an open coal mine near the town of Obilic on April 24, 2009. Air pollution in Pristina has passed all legal norms of environmental pollution regulations. While in the world�s developed countries air pollution is permitted to pass its limits only 18 times during a year, Pristina reaches this limit within three months. Experts at the Institute for Public Health warn that this pollution factor is decreasing people�s life expectancy.

City authorities scrap old cars taken off the road after failing the annual inspections, at a junkyard in Beijing on April 28, 2009. Air pollution in China's cities remains very serious, as a recent a survey conducted in November 2008 in 320 cities, said the average air quality in two out of five Chinese cities ranged from "polluted" to "hazardous", with car exhaust fumes playing a large role in air pollution in the country's big and medium-sized cities.

City authorities scrap old cars taken off the road after failing the annual inspections, at a junkyard in Beijing on April 28, 2009. Air pollution in China's cities remains very serious, as a recent a survey conducted in November 2008 in 320 cities, said the average air quality in two out of five Chinese cities ranged from "polluted" to "hazardous", with car exhaust fumes playing a large role in air pollution in the country's big and medium-sized cities.

Kosovo albanian man works in the "Kosova A" power plant in the town of Obilic on April 24, 2009. Air pollution in Pristina has passed all legal norms of environmental pollution regulations. While in the world�s developed countries air pollution is permitted to pass its limits only 18 times during a year, Pristina reaches this limit within three months. Experts at the Institute for Public Health warn that this pollution factor is decreasing people�s life expectancy.

Kosovo albanians work at a 'Kosova A' power plant near the town of Obilic on April 24, 2009. Air pollution in Pristina has passed all legal norms of environmental pollution regulations. While in the world�s developed countries air pollution is permitted to pass its limits only 18 times during a year, Pristina reaches this limit within three months. Experts at the Institute for Public Health warn that this pollution factor is decreasing people�s life expectancy.

City authorities scrap old cars taken off the road after failing the annual inspections, at a junkyard in Beijing on April 28, 2009. Air pollution in China's cities remains very serious, as a recent a survey conducted in November 2008 in 320 cities, said the average air quality in two out of five Chinese cities ranged from "polluted" to "hazardous", with car exhaust fumes playing a large role in air pollution in the country's big and medium-sized cities.

Kosovo albanian man works in the "Kosova A" power plant in the town of Obilic on April 24, 2009. Air pollution in Pristina has passed all legal norms of environmental pollution regulations. While in the world�s developed countries air pollution is permitted to pass its limits only 18 times during a year, Pristina reaches this limit within three months. Experts at the Institute for Public Health warn that this pollution factor is decreasing people�s life expectancy.

A Kosovo Albanian man works at an open coal mine near the town of Obilic on April 24, 2009. Air pollution in Pristina has passed all legal norms of environmental pollution regulations. While in the world�s developed countries air pollution is permitted to pass its limits only 18 times during a year, Pristina reaches this limit within three months. Experts at the Institute for Public Health warn that this pollution factor is decreasing people�s life expectancy.

City authorities scrap old cars taken off the road after failing the annual inspections, at a junkyard in Beijing on April 28, 2009. Air pollution in China's cities remains very serious, as a recent a survey conducted in November 2008 in 320 cities, said the average air quality in two out of five Chinese cities ranged from "polluted" to "hazardous", with car exhaust fumes playing a large role in air pollution in the country's big and medium-sized cities.

CHONGQING, CHINA - MAY 14: More than 800 scrapped taxis are abandoned in a yard on May 14, 2009 in the center of Chongqing, China. Traffic congestion and pollution have worsened dramatically in Chinese cities because of the country's long-running economic expansion. For many years, Chongqing's main air pollution problem was caused by sulfur dioxide (SO2), primarily from coal burning. However, air quality monitoring data revealed that average nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations have doubled in the past five years, an indication that vehicle emissions have increased rapidly during this period.

An Iranian woman, wearing a mask to protect herself from air pollution, walks past a shop at Tajrish Square in northern Tehran on July 7, 2009. French President Nicolas Sarkozy demanded that Iran release 23-year-old French academic Clotilde Reiss held for spying for nearly a week, saying the charges were "pure fantasy."

LONG BEACH, CA - JUNE 03: Electrical cables run from the 941-foot Alaskan Navigator oil tanker to shore as the first-ever shore-power-equipped oil tanker terminal is unveiled at the BP terminal in the Port of Long Beach on June 3, 2009 in Long Beach, California. The shore power-equipped terminal allows BP oil tankers to reduce air pollution by shutting down their diesel engines to run shipboard systems on electricity while at dock. The power installation provides enough electricity to power about 5,500 homes, up to 8 megawatts at 6,660 volts. Providing shore power to an off-loading oil tanker is the pollution-reducing equivalent of removing 187,000 cars from the road for a day and will eliminate more than 30 tons of pollution per year according to BP officials. The BP Terminal is the second dock equipped with shore power but the first in the world for liquid bulk ships, vessels that transport large amounts of liquid such as petroleum.

LONG BEACH, CA - JUNE 03: Electrical cables run from the 941-foot Alaskan Navigator oil tanker to shore as the first-ever shore-power-equipped oil tanker terminal is unveiled at the BP terminal in the Port of Long Beach on June 3, 2009 in Long Beach, California. The shore power-equipped terminal allows BP oil tankers to reduce air pollution by shutting down their diesel engines to run shipboard systems on electricity while at dock. The power installation provides enough electricity to power about 5,500 homes, up to 8 megawatts at 6,660 volts. Providing shore power to an off-loading oil tanker is the pollution-reducing equivalent of removing 187,000 cars from the road for a day and will eliminate more than 30 tons of pollution per year according to BP officials. The BP Terminal is the second dock equipped with shore power but the first in the world for liquid bulk ships, vessels that transport large amounts of liquid such as petroleum.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Trucks drive near City Hall to protest shipping container fees being assessed against independent truckers as part of the ports' Clean Truck Program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at the ports, on November 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The members of the National Port Drivers Association, who work the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, formed caravans from the ports to City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate against the fees that they say impact their wages and hours. In October, the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Assn. reached a settlement over disputed elements of the air pollution cleanup plan. The port drop requirements not directly related to cleaning up the environment such as a demand for trucking companies to file financial reports, and truckers agreed to emissions, safety and security requirements. In an effort to get rid of dirty trucks, the ban on all 1988 and older trucks from the ports remains and as of January, only 2004-or-later trucks will be allowed in the port complex. Thousands of trucks make daily trips into and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which make up the busiest seaport complex in the nation.

CHONGQING, CHINA - MAY 14: Some of the 800 scrapped taxis are abandoned in a yard, on May 14, 2009 in the center of Chongqing, China. Traffic congestion and pollution have worsened dramatically in Chinese cities because of the country's long-running economic expansion. For many years, Chongqing's main air pollution problem was caused by sulfur dioxide (SO2), primarily from coal burning. However, air quality monitoring data revealed that average nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations have doubled in the past five years, an indication that vehicle emissions have increased rapidly during this period.

LONG BEACH, CA - JUNE 03: Electrical cables run from the 941-foot Alaskan Navigator oil tanker to shore as the first-ever shore-power-equipped oil tanker terminal is unveiled at the BP terminal in the Port of Long Beach on June 3, 2009 in Long Beach, California. The shore power-equipped terminal allows BP oil tankers to reduce air pollution by shutting down their diesel engines to run shipboard systems on electricity while at dock. The power installation provides enough electricity to power about 5,500 homes, up to 8 megawatts at 6,660 volts. Providing shore power to an off-loading oil tanker is the pollution-reducing equivalent of removing 187,000 cars from the road for a day and will eliminate more than 30 tons of pollution per year according to BP officials. The BP Terminal is the second dock equipped with shore power but the first in the world for liquid bulk ships, vessels that transport large amounts of liquid such as petroleum.

File photo taken September 17, 2008 shows residents of Hong Kong covering their mouths from noxious fumes and air pollution. Hong Kong on July 23, 2009 laid out a series of proposals to tackle the city's poor air quality, but the move drew criticism from environmental groups who said new targets did not go far enough. If implemented they will be the first new air quality targets in Hong Kong since 1987.

A pedestrian crosses a footbridge over early afternoon traffic on a smoggy day in Beijing on September 17, 2009. Representatives of the world's 17 biggest carbon polluters were due to kick off a week of high-level and high-stakes talks on climate change at a meeting in Washington with the aim of the talks, held over two days at the State Department before moving to New York and then to Pittsburgh, to try to patch up differences and generate momentum for a much heralded meeting in Copenhagen in December, where a UN conference hopes to produce an ambitious new pact rolling back global warming. Beiijng earlier this month placed a ban on entry to the capital of high-emission motor vehicles in the latest step to address growing concerns over air pollution in the city now home to 3.7 million cars.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: A truck drives near City Hall to protest shipping container fees being assessed against independent truckers as part of the ports' Clean Truck Program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at the ports, on November 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The members of the National Port Drivers Association, who work the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, formed caravans from the ports to City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate against the fees that they say impact their wages and hours. In October, the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Assn. reached a settlement over disputed elements of the air pollution cleanup plan. The port drop requirements not directly related to cleaning up the environment such as a demand for trucking companies to file financial reports, and truckers agreed to emissions, safety and security requirements. In an effort to get rid of dirty trucks, the ban on all 1988 and older trucks from the ports remains and as of January, only 2004-or-later trucks will be allowed in the port complex. Thousands of trucks make daily trips into and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which make up the busiest seaport complex in the nation.

A pedestrian (top C) is almost lost in the haze while crossing a footbridge on a rainy and smoggy day in Beijing on April 23, 2009. Air pollution in China's cities remains very serious, state media reported, amid an ongoing battle to clean up the skies in the world's largest coal consuming nation. China is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal and its appetite for the cheap fuel is growing as its economy expands, according to the Energy Bulletin, a website that monitors global energy supplies and a World Bank report in 2006 said that 16 out of 20 of the world's worst polluted cities were in China.

ONGQING, CHINA - MAY 14: Heavy fog shrouds Chongqing on May 14, 2009 in Chongqing, China. Traffic congestion and pollution have worsened dramatically in Chinese cities because of the country's long-running economic expansion. For many years, Chongqing's main air pollution problem was caused by sulfur dioxide (SO2), primarily from coal burning. However, air quality monitoring data revealed that average nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations have doubled in the past five years, an indication that vehicle emissions have increased rapidly during this period.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: A truck drives near City Hall to protest shipping container fees being assessed against independent truckers as part of the ports' Clean Truck Program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at the ports, on November 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The members of the National Port Drivers Association, who work the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, formed caravans from the ports to City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate against the fees that they say impact their wages and hours. In October, the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Assn. reached a settlement over disputed elements of the air pollution cleanup plan. The port drop requirements not directly related to cleaning up the environment such as a demand for trucking companies to file financial reports, and truckers agreed to emissions, safety and security requirements. In an effort to get rid of dirty trucks, the ban on all 1988 and older trucks from the ports remains and as of January, only 2004-or-later trucks will be allowed in the port complex. Thousands of trucks make daily trips into and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which make up the busiest seaport complex in the nation.

Chinese motorists make their way along a street in a sandstorm, in Hami, China's farwest Xinjiang region on April 23, 2009. Air pollution in China's cities remains very serious, state media quoted a minister as saying, amid an ongoing battle to clean up the skies in the world's largest coal-consuming nation.

A Chinese woman and her child walk along a street during a sandstorm in Lanzhou, north China's Gansu province on April 23, 2009. Air pollution in China's cities remains very serious, state media quoted a minister as saying, amid an ongoing battle to clean up the skies in the world's largest coal-consuming nation.

CHONGQING, CHINA - MAY 14: More than 800 scrapped taxis are abandoned in a yard on May 14, 2009 in the center of Chongqing, China. Traffic congestion and pollution have worsened dramatically in Chinese cities because of the country's long-running economic expansion. For many years, Chongqing's main air pollution problem was caused by sulfur dioxide (SO2), primarily from coal burning. However, air quality monitoring data revealed that average nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations have doubled in the past five years, an indication that vehicle emissions have increased rapidly during this period.

CHONGQING, CHINA - MAY 14: More than 800 scrapped taxis are abandoned in a yard on May 14, 2009 in the center of Chongqing, China. Traffic congestion and pollution have worsened dramatically in Chinese cities because of the country's long-running economic expansion. For many years, Chongqing's main air pollution problem was caused by sulfur dioxide (SO2), primarily from coal burning. However, air quality monitoring data revealed that average nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations have doubled in the past five years, an indication that vehicle emissions have increased rapidly during this period.

An Iranian woman wearing a mask to protect herself from air pollution crosses a street at Tajrish Square in northern Tehran on July 7, 2009. French President Nicolas Sarkozy demanded that Iran release 23-year-old French academic Clotilde Reiss held for spying for nearly a week, saying the charges were "pure fantasy."

LONG BEACH, CA - JUNE 03: Electrical cables run from the 941-foot Alaskan Navigator oil tanker to shore as the first-ever shore-power-equipped oil tanker terminal is unveiled at the BP terminal in the Port of Long Beach on June 3, 2009 in Long Beach, California. The shore power-equipped terminal allows BP oil tankers to reduce air pollution by shutting down their diesel engines to run shipboard systems on electricity while at dock. The power installation provides enough electricity to power about 5,500 homes, up to 8 megawatts at 6,660 volts. Providing shore power to an off-loading oil tanker is the pollution-reducing equivalent of removing 187,000 cars from the road for a day and will eliminate more than 30 tons of pollution per year according to BP officials. The BP Terminal is the second dock equipped with shore power but the first in the world for liquid bulk ships, vessels that transport large amounts of liquid such as petroleum.

LONG BEACH, CA - JUNE 03: Electrical cables run from the 941-foot Alaskan Navigator oil tanker to shore as the first-ever shore-power-equipped oil tanker terminal is unveiled at the BP terminal in the Port of Long Beach on June 3, 2009 in Long Beach, California. The shore power-equipped terminal allows BP oil tankers to reduce air pollution by shutting down their diesel engines to run shipboard systems on electricity while at dock. The power installation provides enough electricity to power about 5,500 homes, up to 8 megawatts at 6,660 volts. Providing shore power to an off-loading oil tanker is the pollution-reducing equivalent of removing 187,000 cars from the road for a day and will eliminate more than 30 tons of pollution per year according to BP officials. The BP Terminal is the second dock equipped with shore power but the first in the world for liquid bulk ships, vessels that transport large amounts of liquid such as petroleum.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Trucks drive near City Hall to protest shipping container fees being assessed against independent truckers as part of the ports' Clean Truck Program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at the ports, on November 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The members of the National Port Drivers Association, who work the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, formed caravans from the ports to City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate against the fees that they say impact their wages and hours. In October, the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Assn. reached a settlement over disputed elements of the air pollution cleanup plan. The port drop requirements not directly related to cleaning up the environment such as a demand for trucking companies to file financial reports, and truckers agreed to emissions, safety and security requirements. In an effort to get rid of dirty trucks, the ban on all 1988 and older trucks from the ports remains and as of January, only 2004-or-later trucks will be allowed in the port complex. Thousands of trucks make daily trips into and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which make up the busiest seaport complex in the nation.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Trucks drive near City Hall to protest shipping container fees being assessed against independent truckers as part of the ports' Clean Truck Program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at the ports, on November 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The members of the National Port Drivers Association, who work the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, formed caravans from the ports to City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate against the fees that they say impact their wages and hours. In October, the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Assn. reached a settlement over disputed elements of the air pollution cleanup plan. The port drop requirements not directly related to cleaning up the environment such as a demand for trucking companies to file financial reports, and truckers agreed to emissions, safety and security requirements. In an effort to get rid of dirty trucks, the ban on all 1988 and older trucks from the ports remains and as of January, only 2004-or-later trucks will be allowed in the port complex. Thousands of trucks make daily trips into and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which make up the busiest seaport complex in the nation.

People cover their mouths as they wait to cross the street at a busy intersection in Hong Kong on July 15, 2009. Street-level air pollution in Hong Kong's busiest districts has soared over the past four years, official data has shown, despite a government campaign to curb vehicle emissions in the Chinese city.

LONG BEACH, CA - JUNE 03: Electrical cables run from the 941-foot Alaskan Navigator oil tanker to shore as the first-ever shore-power-equipped oil tanker terminal is unveiled at the BP terminal in the Port of Long Beach on June 3, 2009 in Long Beach, California. The shore power-equipped terminal allows BP oil tankers to reduce air pollution by shutting down their diesel engines to run shipboard systems on electricity while at dock. The power installation provides enough electricity to power about 5,500 homes, up to 8 megawatts at 6,660 volts. Providing shore power to an off-loading oil tanker is the pollution-reducing equivalent of removing 187,000 cars from the road for a day and will eliminate more than 30 tons of pollution per year according to BP officials. The BP Terminal is the second dock equipped with shore power but the first in the world for liquid bulk ships, vessels that transport large amounts of liquid such as petroleum.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: A truck drives near City Hall to protest shipping container fees being assessed against independent truckers as part of the ports' Clean Truck Program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at the ports, on November 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The members of the National Port Drivers Association, who work the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, formed caravans from the ports to City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate against the fees that they say impact their wages and hours. In October, the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Assn. reached a settlement over disputed elements of the air pollution cleanup plan. The port drop requirements not directly related to cleaning up the environment such as a demand for trucking companies to file financial reports, and truckers agreed to emissions, safety and security requirements. In an effort to get rid of dirty trucks, the ban on all 1988 and older trucks from the ports remains and as of January, only 2004-or-later trucks will be allowed in the port complex. Thousands of trucks make daily trips into and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which make up the busiest seaport complex in the nation.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Trucks drive near City Hall to protest shipping container fees being assessed against independent truckers as part of the ports' Clean Truck Program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at the ports, on November 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The members of the National Port Drivers Association, who work the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, formed caravans from the ports to City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate against the fees that they say impact their wages and hours. In October, the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Assn. reached a settlement over disputed elements of the air pollution cleanup plan. The port drop requirements not directly related to cleaning up the environment such as a demand for trucking companies to file financial reports, and truckers agreed to emissions, safety and security requirements. In an effort to get rid of dirty trucks, the ban on all 1988 and older trucks from the ports remains and as of January, only 2004-or-later trucks will be allowed in the port complex. Thousands of trucks make daily trips into and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which make up the busiest seaport complex in the nation.

A Chinese woman and her child walk along a street during a sandstorm in Lanzhou, north China's Gansu province on April 23, 2009. Air pollution in China's cities remains very serious, state media quoted a minister as saying, amid an ongoing battle to clean up the skies in the world's largest coal-consuming nation.

CHONGQING, CHINA - MAY 14: Taxis travel along a street on May 14, 2009 in the center of Chongqing, China. Traffic congestion and pollution have worsened dramatically in Chinese cities because of the country's long-running economic expansion. For many years, Chongqing's main air pollution problem was caused by sulfur dioxide (SO2), primarily from coal burning. However, air quality monitoring data revealed that average nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations have doubled in the past five years, an indication that vehicle emissions have increased rapidly during this period.

ONGQING, CHINA - MAY 14: Heavy fog shrouds Chongqing on May 14, 2009 in Chongqing, China. Traffic congestion and pollution have worsened dramatically in Chinese cities because of the country's long-running economic expansion. For many years, Chongqing's main air pollution problem was caused by sulfur dioxide (SO2), primarily from coal burning. However, air quality monitoring data revealed that average nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations have doubled in the past five years, an indication that vehicle emissions have increased rapidly during this period.

ONGQING, CHINA - MAY 14: Heavy fog shrouds Chongqing on May 14, 2009 in Chongqing, China. Traffic congestion and pollution have worsened dramatically in Chinese cities because of the country's long-running economic expansion. For many years, Chongqing's main air pollution problem was caused by sulfur dioxide (SO2), primarily from coal burning. However, air quality monitoring data revealed that average nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations have doubled in the past five years, an indication that vehicle emissions have increased rapidly during this period.

Chinese tourists catch a glimpse of the once darling of China's Marxist planned economy, the Capital Iron and Steel mill in Beijing on May 17, 2009, which has moved to neighboring Hebei province as part of Beijing's efforts to clean up air pollution for the 2008 Olympics. China's recent announcement of a four-trillion-yuan (585-billion-USD) stimulus package to combat the global downturn by spending on new infrastructure projects around the country, has environmentalists worried on the impact on the environment.

Iranian women, one covering her face with a protective mask against air pollution, walk at Tajrish Square in northern Tehran on July 7, 2009. French President Nicolas Sarkozy demanded that Iran release 23-year-old French academic Clotilde Reiss held for spying for nearly a week, saying the charges were "pure fantasy."

LONG BEACH, CA - JUNE 03: Electrical cables run from the 941-foot Alaskan Navigator oil tanker to shore as the first-ever shore-power-equipped oil tanker terminal is unveiled at the BP terminal in the Port of Long Beach on June 3, 2009 in Long Beach, California. The shore power-equipped terminal allows BP oil tankers to reduce air pollution by shutting down their diesel engines to run shipboard systems on electricity while at dock. The power installation provides enough electricity to power about 5,500 homes, up to 8 megawatts at 6,660 volts. Providing shore power to an off-loading oil tanker is the pollution-reducing equivalent of removing 187,000 cars from the road for a day and will eliminate more than 30 tons of pollution per year according to BP officials. The BP Terminal is the second dock equipped with shore power but the first in the world for liquid bulk ships, vessels that transport large amounts of liquid such as petroleum.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Trucks drive near City Hall to protest shipping container fees being assessed against independent truckers as part of the ports' Clean Truck Program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at the ports, on November 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The members of the National Port Drivers Association, who work the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, formed caravans from the ports to City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate against the fees that they say impact their wages and hours. In October, the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Assn. reached a settlement over disputed elements of the air pollution cleanup plan. The port drop requirements not directly related to cleaning up the environment such as a demand for trucking companies to file financial reports, and truckers agreed to emissions, safety and security requirements. In an effort to get rid of dirty trucks, the ban on all 1988 and older trucks from the ports remains and as of January, only 2004-or-later trucks will be allowed in the port complex. Thousands of trucks make daily trips into and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which make up the busiest seaport complex in the nation.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: A trucker drives near City Hall to protest shipping container fees being assessed against independent truckers as part of the ports' Clean Truck Program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at the ports, on November 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The members of the National Port Drivers Association, who work the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, formed caravans from the ports to City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate against the fees that they say impact their wages and hours. In October, the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Assn. reached a settlement over disputed elements of the air pollution cleanup plan. The port drop requirements not directly related to cleaning up the environment such as a demand for trucking companies to file financial reports, and truckers agreed to emissions, safety and security requirements. In an effort to get rid of dirty trucks, the ban on all 1988 and older trucks from the ports remains and as of January, only 2004-or-later trucks will be allowed in the port complex. Thousands of trucks make daily trips into and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which make up the busiest seaport complex in the nation.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: People hold up signs as truckers drive near City Hall to protest shipping container fees being assessed against independent truckers as part of the ports' Clean Truck Program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at the ports, on November 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The members of the National Port Drivers Association, who work the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, formed caravans from the ports to City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate against the fees that they say impact their wages and hours. In October, the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Assn. reached a settlement over disputed elements of the air pollution cleanup plan. The port drop requirements not directly related to cleaning up the environment such as a demand for trucking companies to file financial reports, and truckers agreed to emissions, safety and security requirements. In an effort to get rid of dirty trucks, the ban on all 1988 and older trucks from the ports remains and as of January, only 2004-or-later trucks will be allowed in the port complex. Thousands of trucks make daily trips into and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which make up the busiest seaport complex in the nation.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: People hold up signs as truckers drive near City Hall to protest shipping container fees being assessed against independent truckers as part of the ports' Clean Truck Program to allow only newer, less-polluting trucks at the ports, on November 13, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The members of the National Port Drivers Association, who work the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, formed caravans from the ports to City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to demonstrate against the fees that they say impact their wages and hours. In October, the Port of Long Beach and the American Trucking Assn. reached a settlement over disputed elements of the air pollution cleanup plan. The port drop requirements not directly related to cleaning up the environment such as a demand for trucking companies to file financial reports, and truckers agreed to emissions, safety and security requirements. In an effort to get rid of dirty trucks, the ban on all 1988 and older trucks from the ports remains and as of January, only 2004-or-later trucks will be allowed in the port complex. Thousands of trucks make daily trips into and out of the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles which make up the busiest seaport complex in the nation.

Chinese motorists make their way along a street in a sandstorm, in Hami, China's farwest Xinjiang region on April 18, 2009. Air pollution in China's cities remains very serious, state media quoted a minister as saying, amid an ongoing battle to clean up the skies in the world's largest coal-consuming nation.

CHONGQING, CHINA - MAY 14: More than 800 scrapped taxis are abandoned in a yard on May 14, 2009 in the center of Chongqing, China. Traffic congestion and pollution have worsened dramatically in Chinese cities because of the country's long-running economic expansion. For many years, Chongqing's main air pollution problem was caused by sulfur dioxide (SO2), primarily from coal burning. However, air quality monitoring data revealed that average nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations have doubled in the past five years, an indication that vehicle emissions have increased rapidly during this period.