Climate scientists at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have discovered that particulate pollution in the late 20th century created a "warming hole" over the eastern United States -- that is, a cold patch where the effects of global warming were temporarily obscured.

While greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane warm Earth's surface, tiny particles in the air can have the reverse effect on regional scales.

The House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday to delay Environmental Protection Agency limits on pollutants from industrial boilers, its latest move to hinder air rules designed to protect public health.

The vote was 275 to 142 for the legislation. All Republicans present voted for the bill as did 41 Democrats. Republicans have a majority in the House.

President Obama abandoned a contentious new air pollution rule on Friday, buoying business interests that had lobbied heavily against it, angering environmentalists who called the move a betrayal and unnerving his own top environmental regulators.

The president rejected a proposed rule from the Environmental Protection Agency that would have significantly reduced emissions of smog-causing chemicals, saying that it would impose too severe a burden on industry and local governments at a time of economic distress.

Indian wind turbine company Suzlon Energy Ltd. will pay a $490,000 penalty for pollution violations in the U.S. over a period of four quarters, starting from the current quarter, the company said Friday.

"This refers to a 2008 issue at our subsidiary Suzlon Rotor Corp., a Pipestone-based manufacturing facility," the company said in a statement.

It added that it "has been in full compliance with all environmental norms in the state since this was discovered".

EU Backs Plan To Clean Up Air, Cut Lung Disease BELGIUM: April 15, 2008 BRUSSELS - The European Union approved a plan on Monday to clean up air quality in the bloc, setting limits for the first time on fine particles that cut eight months off the life of the average European citizen. "The European Union has today taken a decisive step in tackling a major cause of environmental and health problems," European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said.