Air quality in the Los Angeles region has plummeted due to smoke from the ongoing wildfires. With all that smoke comes possible risks to human health. So what actually is smoke and why is it so harmful? Jessica Gilman, an atmospheric chemist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, explains what smoke is made of, how it behaves in the atmosphere and smoke's role in climate change. Plus, tips for how to lessen your exposure.
Check out the CDC's recommendations for avoiding smoke inhalation here. Read more of NPR's coverage of the fires.
Questions, story ideas or want us to dig more into the science underpinning natural disasters? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!
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Consider This from NPR - What happens when wildland fire reaches the city?
"Wildfire" is the word we tend to use when we talk about what Los Angeles has been dealing with the past week.
But Lori Moore-Merrell, the U.S. Fire Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency used a different word, when she spoke to NPR this morning.
She described a "conflagration." Saying they're not wildland fires with trees burning. They're structure to structure fire spread.
They may have started at the suburban fringe, but they didn't stay there. Which prompts a question: what happens when fire meets city?
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But Lori Moore-Merrell, the U.S. Fire Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency used a different word, when she spoke to NPR this morning.
She described a "conflagration." Saying they're not wildland fires with trees burning. They're structure to structure fire spread.
They may have started at the suburban fringe, but they didn't stay there. Which prompts a question: what happens when fire meets city?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org
Email us at considerthis@npr.org
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Consider This from NPR - What happens when wildland fire reaches the city?
"Wildfire" is the word we tend to use when we talk about what Los Angeles has been dealing with the past week.
But Lori Moore-Merrell, the U.S. Fire Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency used a different word, when she spoke to NPR this morning.
She described a "conflagration." Saying they're not wildland fires with trees burning. They're structure to structure fire spread.
They may have started at the suburban fringe, but they didn't stay there. Which prompts a question: what happens when fire meets city?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org
Email us at considerthis@npr.org
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But Lori Moore-Merrell, the U.S. Fire Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency used a different word, when she spoke to NPR this morning.
She described a "conflagration." Saying they're not wildland fires with trees burning. They're structure to structure fire spread.
They may have started at the suburban fringe, but they didn't stay there. Which prompts a question: what happens when fire meets city?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org
Email us at considerthis@npr.org
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
Consider This from NPR - What happens when wildland fire reaches the city?
"Wildfire" is the word we tend to use when we talk about what Los Angeles has been dealing with the past week.
But Lori Moore-Merrell, the U.S. Fire Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency used a different word, when she spoke to NPR this morning.
She described a "conflagration." Saying they're not wildland fires with trees burning. They're structure to structure fire spread.
They may have started at the suburban fringe, but they didn't stay there. Which prompts a question: what happens when fire meets city?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org
Email us at considerthis@npr.org
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy
But Lori Moore-Merrell, the U.S. Fire Administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency used a different word, when she spoke to NPR this morning.
She described a "conflagration." Saying they're not wildland fires with trees burning. They're structure to structure fire spread.
They may have started at the suburban fringe, but they didn't stay there. Which prompts a question: what happens when fire meets city?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org
Email us at considerthis@npr.org
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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State of the World from NPR - The Power Struggle Among Palestinian Groups in the West Bank
There is a fight for power happening among Palestinian groups in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, has spent weeks weeks besieging the Jenin refugee camp. The tussle is also a fight over different visions for the Palestinian people.
For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates
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For more coverage of all sides of this conflict, go to npr.org/mideastupdates
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1A - (dot) Gov: What Trump’s Plans Mean For The Department of Education
You've probably heard President-elect Donald Trump say he plans to close the Department of Education.
It's the smallest of the cabinet-level federal agencies, with just over 4,000 employees. Its 2024 budget was $275 billion. That's 4 percent of all federal funding.
Trump's plans to completely shutter the department are unlikely to happen. He may, however, make big changes to it, shifting many of its responsibility to other agencies.
But what are those responsibilities exactly? And who carries them out? As part of our series on federal workers, dot Gov, we're diving into the Department of Education today to talk about its functions and what the future president's plans for it mean for the American people.
Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
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It's the smallest of the cabinet-level federal agencies, with just over 4,000 employees. Its 2024 budget was $275 billion. That's 4 percent of all federal funding.
Trump's plans to completely shutter the department are unlikely to happen. He may, however, make big changes to it, shifting many of its responsibility to other agencies.
But what are those responsibilities exactly? And who carries them out? As part of our series on federal workers, dot Gov, we're diving into the Department of Education today to talk about its functions and what the future president's plans for it mean for the American people.
Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Up First from NPR - Dozens Dead in L.A. Fires, Middle East Ceasefire Talks, Homeland Security Chief
At least two dozen deaths are attributed to the L.A. Wildfires, as more extreme fire weather is in the forecast. Ceasefire negotiations have resumed in Qatar with Israel and Hamas appearing to close in on a deal. As Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas prepares to leave office, he says the incoming Trump administration will face hard choices on immigration.
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NPR's Book of the Day - Mark Lilla’s new book explores the psychology and consequences of willful ignorance
Author Mark Lilla is professor of humanities at Columbia University specializing in intellectual history. His new book, Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know, examines the tendencies for willful ignorance in human nature and the correlations of those tendencies to education castes. In today's episode, Lilla speaks to NPR's Asma Khalid about curiosity and the role social media plays in choosing to engage with information and facts.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
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The Indicator from Planet Money - How batteries are already changing the grid
Renewable energy, when it comes to solar and wind power, has always had a caveat: it can only run when the wind blows or the sun shines. The idea of a battery was floated around to make renewables available 24/7. For years, it existed as an expensive, little-used technology. And then in 2021, it took off.
In California, there is now enough grid-scale battery storage to power millions of homes, at least for a few hours, and it's growing fast. How did that happen, and what does the newfound success mean for the grid?
This week, we dig into three stories about grid-scale battery storage. Today, we go on-the-ground to California, where batteries first took off in the U.S.
Related episodes:
Rooftop solar's dark side (Apple / Spotify)
How EV batteries tore apart Michigan (Update) (Apple / Spotify)
How China became solar royalty (Apple / Spotify)
Wind boom, wind bust (Two windicators) (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
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In California, there is now enough grid-scale battery storage to power millions of homes, at least for a few hours, and it's growing fast. How did that happen, and what does the newfound success mean for the grid?
This week, we dig into three stories about grid-scale battery storage. Today, we go on-the-ground to California, where batteries first took off in the U.S.
Related episodes:
Rooftop solar's dark side (Apple / Spotify)
How EV batteries tore apart Michigan (Update) (Apple / Spotify)
How China became solar royalty (Apple / Spotify)
Wind boom, wind bust (Two windicators) (Apple / Spotify)
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Consider This from NPR - On the way out: Transportation Sec. Buttigieg looks back on achievements, challenges
From handling crises in the rail and airline industries to overseeing the distribution of billions of dollars in infrastructure funding, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has taken on a lot over the last four years.
Now, his tenure is coming to an end.
Host Scott Detrow speaks with Buttigieg about what the Biden administration accomplished, what it didn't get done, and what he's taking away from an election where voters resoundingly called for something different.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org
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Now, his tenure is coming to an end.
Host Scott Detrow speaks with Buttigieg about what the Biden administration accomplished, what it didn't get done, and what he's taking away from an election where voters resoundingly called for something different.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org
Email us at considerthis@npr.org
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