Every country has now banned leaded petrol, ending a century-long source of airborne lead

historyanalysisOur World in Data1920s–2020s · Worldwide

Every country has now banned leaded petrol, ending a century-long source of airborne lead

the gist

Lead was added to petrol from the 1920s because it improved engine performance by preventing knocking. Lead is a toxic metal, and burning leaded fuel released it into city air, where it harmed the health of people worldwide, especially children. Over several decades countries phased it out, replacing it with unleaded fuel, and every country has now banned leaded petrol for road vehicles. The change is one of the clearest examples of a global environmental health problem being solved through international action.

how it works

Tetraethyl lead was added to petrol to reduce engine knocking, which let engines run more smoothly and efficiently. Burning it released lead particles from exhaust, which people breathed and which accumulated in the body, affecting the developing brains of children.

so what

Removing lead from fuel is widely cited as one of the most successful environmental health policies, because children's blood lead levels fell as a result. It shows that a harmful additive can be phased out once the costs of exposure are clear.

more on this

background

Gasoline (North American English) or petrol (in other English-speaking countries) is a petrochemical product, a transparent, yellowish and flammable liquid normally used as a fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines (ICEs). It is chemically composed of organic compounds derived from the fractional distillation of petroleum and later chemically enhanced with gasoline additives. It is a high-volume profitable product produced in crude oil refineries.

From Wikipedia: Gasoline (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗

watch · 1:56

1:56

Gasoline isn't the only expensive gas

Climate Town on YouTube ↗

see

Ferdinand Reus, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Burger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Streeteo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Our World in Data · CC BY 4.0

Image: Our World in Data

source: Our World in Data ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗