Typical inconclusive air pollution study
It's a study of geography, not people
Research suggests men living in heavily polluted cities can find it harder to get erections.
They're also more likely to struggle with premature ejaculation, according to the same study.
And tests showed extroverted men with a normal BMI were worst affected.
Chinese experts tracked over 5,000 men, asking them about their general health and sexual function.
Average levels of six pollutants close to their homes were also assessed over the course of 12 months.
These included particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
All three have been linked to health woes such as heart disease and dementia.
The particles, emitted by car exhausts and wood-burning stoves can be so small they travel deep into the lungs and bloodstream.
Researchers at Anhui Medical University found men exposed to the highest average NO2 levels had the worst erectile function.
This was measured by a questionnaire that asks men about how often they get erect and whether they can maintain them. It gives them a score out of 25.
The highest NO2 levels in the study were recorded at 30 μg/m3.
UK laws currently state hourly levels of toxic NO2 must not exceed the threshold of 40 µg/m3 more than 18 times a year.
However, air quality tracking tools shows that this limit is regularly breached in parts of London.
In comparison, levels of NO2 in New York can spike as high as 27 µg/m3 day to day.
Meanwhile, men exposed to the highest PM2.5 levels scored worse on a premature ejaculation questionnaire that asked them whether they ejaculate before they desire.
Sharing their results, the team speculated that pollutants may hamper men's sex lives by inducing an 'inflammatory response' which constricts blood vessels.
Researchers said the effect of pollution on sexual function was strongest among men with a normal BMI, who were extroverted and smoked or drank alcohol.
They wrote: 'Individuals with a normal BMI are likely to engage in more outdoor activities compared to overweight men.
'And previous research has indicated that people who spend more time outdoors have increased exposure to air pollutants.'
No exact scores were detailed in the study, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Results also relied on participants self-reporting their sexual function, which could lead to 'bias', experts admitted.
No statistically significant results were found between the other air pollutants and male sexual function. .
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Amid explosive demand, America is running out of power
Vast swaths of the United States are at risk of running short of power as electricity-hungry data centers and clean-technology factories proliferate around the country, leaving utilities and regulators grasping for credible plans to expand the nation’s creaking power grid.
In Georgia, demand for industrial power is surging to record highs, with the projection of new electricity use for the next decade now 17 times what it was only recently. Arizona Public Service, the largest utility in that state, is also struggling to keep up, projecting it will be out of transmission capacity before the end of the decade absent major upgrades.
Northern Virginia needs the equivalent of several large nuclear power plants to serve all the new data centers planned and under construction. Texas, where electricity shortages are already routine on hot summer days, faces the same dilemma.
The soaring demand is touching off a scramble to try to squeeze more juice out of an aging power grid while pushing commercial customers to go to extraordinary lengths to lock down energy sources, such as building their own power plants.
“When you look at the numbers, it is staggering,” said Jason Shaw, chairman of the Georgia Public Service Commission, which regulates electricity. “It makes you scratch your head and wonder how we ended up in this situation. How were the projections that far off? This has created a challenge like we have never seen before.”
A major factor behind the skyrocketing demand is the rapid innovation in artificial intelligence, which is driving the construction of large warehouses of computing infrastructure that require exponentially more power than traditional data centers. AI is also part of a huge scale-up of cloud computing. Tech firms like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft are scouring the nation for sites for new data centers, and many lesser-known firms are also on the hunt.
The proliferation of crypto-mining, in which currencies like bitcoin are transacted and minted, is also driving data center growth. It is all putting new pressures on an overtaxed grid — the network of transmission lines and power stations that move electricity around the country. Bottlenecks are mounting, leaving both new generators of energy, particularly clean energy, and large consumers facing growing wait times for hookups.
The situation is sparking battles across the nation over who will pay for new power supplies, with regulators worrying that residential ratepayers could be stuck with the bill for costly upgrades. It also threatens to stifle the transition to cleaner energy, as utility executives lobby to delay the retirement of fossil fuel plants and bring more online. The power crunch imperils their ability to supply the energy that will be needed to charge the millions of electric cars and household appliances required to meet state and federal climate goals.
The nation’s 2,700 data centers sapped more than 4 percent of the country’s total electricity in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency. Its projections show that by 2026, they will consume 6 percent. Industry forecasts show the centers eating up a larger share of U.S. electricity in the years that follow, as demand from residential and smaller commercial facilities stays relatively flat thanks to steadily increasing efficiencies in appliances and heating and cooling systems.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/ar-BB1jtM69
********************************************French Council of State annuls wind turbine permits, major impact on energy future
In a landmark decision, the French Council of State has ruled that authorizations for onshore wind turbines and rules for the renewal of wind farms are illegal. The decision comes after a legal challenge brought by the Fédération Environnement Durable and 15 associations.
Scope of the cancellation:
The Council of State annulled all provisions concerning the three successive versions of the noise measurement protocol that was supposed to protect the health of local residents. The decision affects not only current authorizations and projects but could also call into question existing wind farms.
Consequences:
* Projects under review or authorized but not yet built: These projects must imperatively undergo a complete environmental assessment.
* Existing wind farms: All wind farms built on the basis of the now-illegal ministerial decrees should no longer be authorized to operate in their current state.
Reasons for the cancellation:
* Lack of environmental assessment: The Council of State found that the ministerial decrees on noise measurement did not undergo an environmental assessment, which is a violation of the law.
* Lack of public participation: The Council of State also highlighted that the decisions approving the noise protocol were not subject to public participation, violating the principles of participation and transparency.
Reactions:
* Environmental associations: Environmental associations welcome the decision of the Council of State, calling it a major victory for environmental protection, the health of local residents, and respect for the law. They point to the systematic disregard of these laws by the public authorities, whose sole objective was to impose the installation of wind turbines that are increasingly rejected by the population, especially in rural areas.
* State: The State has been ordered to pay compensation to the plaintiff associations.
Impact on the French energy future:
The decision of the Council of State will have a crucial impact on the future of French energy. The development of onshore wind energy is now being slowed down, pending the implementation of new authorizations and rules that comply with the law. This decision also raises questions about the viability of ongoing projects and the future of existing wind farms.
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Noise from wind farm is 'nuisance' to neighbours, Irish judge says in landmark ruling
A High Court judge has found that levels of noise generated at certain times of the day by a wind farm constitutes a nuisance to the occupants of neighbouring properties.
In a landmark decision, which is understood to have implications for the operation of electricity-generating wind turbines, Ms Justice Emily Egan held that noise levels from the two-turbine Ballyduff Windfarm at Kilcomb, near Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, amounted to "unreasonable interference".
The cases are the first private nuisance claim from wind turbine noise to run in either Ireland or the UK, the judge said.
The first action was taken by Margret Webster and her partner Keith Rollo whose home is close to the wind farm which has been operational since 2017.
A second action was taken by Ross Shorten and Joan Carty who had owned another property close to the turbines, but sold it after they commenced their proceedings in 2018.
Both couples had sued the wind farm operator Meenacloghspar (Wind) Limited seeking damages for nuisance.
The couples claimed they had been subjected to constant noise and nuisance from the wind farm that had damaged their lives, health and the value of the properties.
The claims were fully denied by the defendant, with a registered address at Stillorgan Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.
'Unreasonable interference'
In her ruling on the first part of the case, which dealt with liability only, Ms Justice Egan said the noise amounted to an "unreasonable interference" with the enjoyment of their property, and they were therefore entitled to damages.
The hearing of the first module lasted for 51 days, far longer than what had been originally estimated by the parties' lawyers, the judge noted.
The costs of the case to date have been estimated to be well over €1 million.
During the course of the hearing, the judge also physically visited the turbines and the properties.
Giving the court's decision, the judge said that there are frequent and sustained periods of noise "widely acknowledged to be associated with high levels of annoyance" and have "a characteristic known to lead to adverse reaction in the community".
The judge accepted that in this case such noise levels from the wind farm "occurs commonly and for sustained periods".
Noise levels that exhibit these characteristics on a regular and sustained basis were "unreasonable and exceptional," she said.
"I find that the plaintiffs’ complaints are objectively justified in that the noise interferes with the ordinary comfort and enjoyment of their homes. When it occurs, this interference is a substantial interference."
While the noise is liable to annoy during the working day, higher prevailing background noise levels and the fact that the occupants are not trying to relax, or sleep means that the noise did not in general substantially interfere with the plaintiffs’ enjoyment of their property, she said.
However, the noise "poses a nuisance to the plaintiffs in the evenings and at weekends, when one could reasonably expect to be enjoying recreation in the garden or peace in one’s dwelling".
"Demonstrably the noise also poses a nuisance at night and in the early morning when a quiet environment is at a premium," she said.
Damages
The amount of damages to be awarded to the plaintiffs, the issue of whether an injunction ought to be granted and, if so, the terms of such injunction will be assessed by the court following the second module of the claim.
The judge also found that the defendant had not breached the terms of turbine’s planning permission, as alleged.
The court said that while the court was not satisfied that wind farm complies with the noise condition of its permission, this had not been pleaded in the case.
The court also rejected claims that the defendant had been negligent towards the plaintiffs.
The court rejected the defendants' claim that Mr Shorten and Ms Carty were not entitled to seek damages for arising out of their disposal of their former property.
The judge said they were entitled to advance a claim to damages in nuisance for any unreasonable interference with amenity occasioned during the period of their ownership and potentially for diminution in the sale price.
The judge said the case was before the court when existing planning guidance regulating, the noise aspects of wind farm developments in Ireland, the Wind Energy Development Guidelines, 2006 are under review.
While draft revised Wind Energy Development Guidelines were published in 2019, these had been withdrawn, the judge said.
In the absence of clear policy guidance from the government on wind turbine noise, the assessment in an individual case "is a classic matter of degree on which the court must exercise judgment," the judge added.
After giving her decision, the judge directed the parties to re-engage in mediation in an attempt to identify appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures.
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Jim Hansen and his twin
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