Pollution

[Bill Walker]

In a report (pdf) released Tuesday (Sept. 27), the World Health Organization (WHO) found that 92% of the population breathes air with unhealthy levels of pollutants. WHO collected air quality data from 3,000 locations across the globe and looked for concentrations of fine particulate matter, including sulfates, nitrates, mineral dust, and black carbon, which are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter—about 1/1000 of a millimeter, or the width of a credit card. Both indoors and outdoors, these particles work their way into the lungs when we breathe, and can cause cardiovascular disease like lung cancer, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Does anybody else worry about this for our kids and their kids?
Its very very easy and cheap to pollute, like popping out to the shop in the car instead of walking, ot driving the kids to school, owning a big SUV when a hatchback would do the job.

Of course the wealthy pollute the most.....America is the worst , they have 5% of the worlds population but cause 25% of the worlds air pollution, and Europe isnt far behind.
China is a huge worry having 1500 million people who are becoming more affluent as the years roll by, they are fast becoming like westerners, wanting cars, airconditioners, big refrigerators...
When they all get them, (along with the Malaysians, Indians, Phillipino's, Indonesians etc) maybe were all going to choke.

Were slowly killing our planet and ourselves, isnt it time to radically change what we do as individuals.

 

[urban genie]

people have been saying it for decades and not much has changed.

beef consumption is a major factor along with cars, and people like the convenience of both unfortunately.

Along with big business putting profit over renewable energy and government too idiotic to do what's needed pollution will continue unfortunately.

Personally for me all major city centres would be podestrianised and there should be heavy investment in public transport to fit for purpose.
Encouragement and help for local businesses and farms so products are affordble and your foods carbon footprint is low.
For the UK we have some of the strongest offshore tides yet we don't tap into hydro-electric power where some studies have shown in some areas of the north and Irish sea there is portential to harness enough energy to power large areas of the country.

And, although this may seem daft, a proper, visible, on the beat police force 24-7 and police stations in local areas. I know peoole, young and old, male and female, that when it get's dark or even late on will get taxis rather than walk what would be a 15 min walk as they feel safer or will order a take away to be delivered or drive to it even thoug it's 4 or 5 streets away because they don't want to go out at night because of the knobheads about.
Doesn't seem like much but all those little drives mount up.

Unfortunately also, curbing the beef industry, cutting car usage, and encouraging walking/clycing more rather than using car, taxis or buses will also mean people losing work, so creating new jobs to replace those lost through changing our ways also needs to be sorted before things will change.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

It won’t be long before the current fad for wood burners is reversed and they get banned in cities.

More polluting than modern diesel cars.

 

[Fred_Quimby]

Nothing will happen. Will cost people money. I worry constantly about the world my grand children have/Will be born into. People care but as soon as they find out it costs then nothing happens. We can all do our bit but you should have seen the response locally when it was suggested that children walk to school and a while ago in Boston where I live it was arranged for people to park their cars and walk into town less than a mile and nobody used it.

People around here complain about the lack of parking but will not walk into town. Nobody in Boston needs a car to get to work in the town but they use it and complain about the congestion and lack of parking. I could go on but won't. People are not interested.

 

[Hoghead]

How come the moss in my lawn and on my drive keeps growing like crazy

 

[Bill Walker]

Nothing will happen. Will cost people money. I worry constantly about the world my grand children have/Will be born into. People care but as soon as they find out it costs then nothing happens. We can all do our bit but you should have seen the response locally when it was suggested that children walk to school and a while ago in Boston where I live it was arranged for people to park their cars and walk into town less than a mile and nobody used it.

People around here complain about the lack of parking but will not walk into town. Nobody in Boston needs a car to get to work in the town but they use it and complain about the congestion and lack of parking. I could go on but won't. People are not interested.

Thats terrible that nobody used the initiative mate, but theres so many fat people these days they dont want to walk.

Apparently 2/3rds of the Great Barrier Reef has suffered from bleaching due to increasing ocean temps. Its so sad, the coral goes white then gets covered in algea, then just dies. Very few people seem to care.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...cientists-despair-latest-coral-bleaching-data

 

[TheRemainsOfTheDave]

Thats terrible that nobody used the initiative mate, but theres so many fat people these days they dont want to walk.

It's difficult to say, but many people drop their kids off on their way to work and don't have time to park up, walk their kid a mile to school, walk a mile back to the car and then battle through busy traffic to get to work on time. It might not be practical.

 

[bluethrunthru]

would it help if we all stopped breathing......?

 

[pee dubya]

I remember when i arrived in India in Delhi, holy shit. The pollution is insane, you can see it and feel it, just smothering everything. Wipe your face after going for a walk and you're coated in a layer of grey. The river is 50% water, 50% plastic/shit/god knows what.

After seeing that, and it's the same all over Asia, made me realise the size of the problem. It seems impossible to turn around.

 

[CTID1988]

I live in the city centre and I know it's taking 10 years off my life, can't taste the lead in the air