World Health Organization
Topic: A
Air Pollution
WHO Topic A
Submitted by: Chad
School: University School
Air pollution is a huge problem all throughout the world. With the inhalation of only small
amounts of pollution taking away 1-2 years of a person’s life, the whole world needs to contribute to the
problem of air pollution. Every country and delegate needs to work together so that we can help save
not only people’s lives, but save people from getting horrible diseases too. Even just standing near
heavy traffic can cause large amounts of polluted air to be inhaled into a person’s body. Air pollution
needs to be reduced fast.
Chad is part of many initiatives to help air pollution. We believe that air pollution is a problem
that is contributing to millions of deaths. Although it doesn’t affect our country as much as other, it
causes many deaths that could be easily prevented. That is why we are helping with money and aid. We
want to donate towards many organizations as well as WHO. We are part of the Global Alliance for
Clean Stovecookers, which help with deaths due to smoke and pollutants from over the fire cooking.
Chad is most greatly affected by these types of deaths as 93% of cooking in our country is done in this
way. Unfortunately air pollution is growing in the north as we industrialize and develop, as this creates
more air pollution.
Chad firmly believes that through regulation, aid, and donation, we can reduce the amount of
air pollution. With many of our oil fields creating much air pollution we believe that if we simply regulate
the places that make a lot of air pollution than we can greatly help the amount of pollutants being put
into our air. By regulating through making them control and track the amount of pollution they put into
the air, we can know how much pollution a company is putting out. By setting standards and laws, we
can keep the amount of pollution from a country down. We can also fine for putting too much pollution
into the air. Also, with much pollution coming from the smoke and pollutants from over the fire cooking,
as mentioned above, we need to provide aid to help with this problem. We need to donate and give
these people a cleaner source to cook with. Using these methods, we can greatly help reduce the
amount of air pollution put into our air.
WHO Topic A
Submitted by:
China
In China, the economic growth has been rising, but with all the factories burning
coal, the air pollution has also risen. China’s problem with air pollution right now is very
bad, especially in northern China. China burns half of the coal that the rest of the world
uses. Northern China depends more on coal than Southern China, for which Southern
China has abundant hydro power. China’s air pollution is primarily caused by the huge
usage of coal to create electricity to power a booming economy, and that there are more
vehicles on the roads. Air pollution also slows down photosynthesis in plants. They
even have to close schools and shut down factories due to hazardous air quality. So
far, Beijing has banned people from burning clothes of dead relatives so the air pollution
does not rise even more. According to Real Time Air Quality Index in China, currently
the air in China, especially in the east is “very unhealthy or even hazardous.”
So far China has said that they plan to use one-fifth of their power from non-fossil
fuels by 2025. They plan to use no more coal than 65 percent for energy use also by
2017. The Chinese government plans to use $275 billion to try to reduce the air
pollution. To decrease the pollution by a third, government offices and schools are
closed, and factories are being shut down. Using carbon tax would cut emissions by 19
percent by 2020. The government will be stricter on punishing polluters, too. Clothing
designers in China have even put face masks into everyday life clothing for battling
smog, but only when other leaders are not around. An independent campaigning
organization called Greenpeace is pushing for China to one day end the usage of
coal. Beijing has committed to slowly close down coal plants inside the city by
2017. They have also included setting limits on burning coal and are taking high
polluting cars and trucks off the roads. A long time China watcher named Isabel Hilton
has said, ”About ten years ago, Chinese citizens were almost proud of smog, because it
meant that we were industrializing, and becoming a real country.”
Overall, China has been trying to clean up the air pollution in the many
cities. The air pollution is worse in the winter though, because heating systems are
used. Citizens want to quit using coal, and want strict air quality service. The World
Health Organization has told Beijing residents to stay indoors when air quality is
poor. They also want to stop using fossil fuels and start using clean, renewable
energy. Then they also want introduce cleaner fuel standards and switch to electric
vehicles. Switching to wind and solar power would be a huge difference in the
air. There is something called Smart Air, which is an air purifier which has a basic fan
and a HEPA filter connected to it. There are also infipures, that are pretty much
disposable nose masks, so you don’t have to wear a surgical face mask. Even though
China has horrible air pollution problems, the government and the citizens have been
trying to decrease the amount through these strategies.
WHO Topic A
Works Cited
"APEC Conference in China Has Government on Pollution Clean-up."CBSNews. CBS
Interactive, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/apec-conference-inchina-has-government-on-pollution-clean-up/>.
"Beijing Air Pollution: Real-time PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI)." Beijing Air Pollution: Realtime PM2.5 Air Quality Index (AQI). N.p., 7 Dec. 2014. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.
<http://aqicn.org/>.
Chung, Amy. "9 Things That Make Air Pollution Bearable." CNN. Cable News Network, 03
July 2014. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/03/world/asia/china-smoginventions/>
"Reduce Air Pollution: In China." Greenpeace East Asia. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.
http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/campaigns/air-pollution/>.
Wong, Edward. "China’s Plan to Curb Air Pollution Sets Limits on Coal Use and Vehicles."
The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/world/asia/china-releases-plan-to-reduce-airpollution.html
WHO Topic A
Submitted by:
Costa Rica.
There are many large problems all over the world, but one of the main health
concerns is air pollution. Air pollution is contamination of air by smoke and harmful gasses
like, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and sulfur. Additionally there are two
different types of air pollution, indoor and outdoor. Indoor air pollution is chemical,
biological and physical contamination of the air indoors. Outdoor air pollution is the
presence of solids, liquids and/or harmful gasses in the air outdoors. Both of these types of
air pollution are equally dangerous and have been linked to about seven million deaths
worldwide in 2012. These deaths are from heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease and lung cancer. In fact one out of every eight deaths is from air
pollution. One large part of the deaths linked to indoor air pollution is coal. Three billion
people around the world rely on coal to cook food, heat their homes and for making energy.
Using coal this much can lead to indoor air pollution and the diseases mentioned earlier.
South East Asia has the largest number of deaths linked to air pollution (1.7 million), which
is not surprising, because of the amount of factories they have that produce smoke. A
resident of China who was featured in National Geographic says his neck lesions are the
result of a toxic environment. The same article says that barely 33% of China's cities have air
that does meet standards causing 25% of deaths in the county side.(Bob,Sacha. Air pollution
victim. National Geographic, 2014.11-10-2014
<http://science.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/science/photos/lungs/air-pollutionvictim/>). “Too many urban centers are so wrapped up in dirty air that their horizons are
invisible. It is not surprisingly that this air is dangerous to breathe. So a growing number of
cities and communities around the world should strive to better meet the needs of its
WHO Topic A
residents,” said specialist Flavia BustreoIn. This quote explains it all, with the growing
number of cities that produce smoke our world is at risk. The latest resolution on the topic of
air pollution was proposed on the 23rd of June 2014 and passed on the 25th of June 2014. In
this resolution representatives of various countries agreed that air pollution is a major
problem all around the world and referred to a study done by the World Health Organization
(WHO) which said there were more than 7 million deaths in 2012 because of poor air
quality. To quote the United Nations health agency, air pollution is the "single largest
environmental health risk."
Costa Rica actually has very low air pollution and seems to have a good grasp on
controlling the amount of pollution going into our atmosphere. The reason Costa Rica still
has some air pollution is because of cane fires. A cane fire is when sugar cane is fired before
harvesting to remove the dead leaf material and some of the waxy coating on the plant. The
harvesting of the cane makes CO2 which, if too much is inhaled, can cause many bad things
to happen such as vomiting, convulsions, coma, collapse and in some cases death. In a study
done in 2013 by the Autonomous National University in Costa Rica there are 37 micrograms
of pollution per cubic meter in the air. That is almost double the maximum contaminant
levels established by WHO. The 37 micrograms are made up of sulfates, chlorides, nitrates,
nickel, copper, vanadium and aluminum. The minister Rene Castro says: "Just as the country
reduced PM 10 particles and removed lead from gasoline, we will now assume this new
challenge reducing fine particles through new regulations, renewal of the vehicle fleet and
overall emissions reduction.” Another problem in Costa Rica is deforestation, which is when
trees or forests are cut down to make way for buildings, towns and cities. Approximately,
WHO Topic A
20,000 acres of land deforested annually, which means only 25% of the original forest is still
standing in Costa Rica. An article on deforestation explained "laws are too lenient on land
that is not deemed a national territory and recent amendments to forestry law makes it even
easier to obtain logging permits."(Deforestation. VivaCostaRica,2003. November
3,2014.<http://www.vivacostarica.com/costa-rica-information/costa-ricadeforestation.html>). Even with all of the other problems Costa Rica is also on the path to
becoming a carbon neutral country. "We do this with the hope that, eventually, we will be
able to show the world that what ultimately needs to be done, can be done." Says president
Oscar Arias(2007). This path started in 2007 and seems to be working with Costa Rica
having such a good air pollution rating (Costa Rica's Commitment: On The Path To
Becoming Carbon-Neutral. UN Chronicle, June 2007. 11-1014.<http://unchronicle.un.org/article/costa-rica-s-commitment-path-becoming-carbonneutral/>).
The United States has created the "cap and trade" protocol, which places a limit (cap)
on how much pollution a company is allowed to create. When a company exceeds the
amount of pollution they are allowed to create they have to pay a fine and when a company
doesn't create the maximum amount of pollution they can "trade" the amount with other
companies for money. The acid deposition currently in the United States is much less than it
was in 1991, which proves this protocol is working. There is also the Kyoto Protocol, which
is an international agreement that commits its parties by "setting internationally binding
emission reduction targets."( Kyoto protocol.United Nations Framework Convention Climate
Change. November 17,2014.<http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php>) The article
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states "developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of GHG
emissions in the atmosphere." Meaning that we need to focus on the big countries that
produce air pollution because 1.78 billion people or 1/4 of the global population is breathing
bad air. Prior to 1990 the Environmental protection agency for the United States (EPA) set
standards that were not very effective at reducing emissions. In 1990 the United States
congress advised that the EPA use a technology and performance based approach to greatly
reduce air pollution from major sources. "Over the past 10 years the strategy has proven
extremely successful and cut emissions by nearly 1.5 million tons per year."(taking toxins
out of the air. EPA. November 17,2014
<http://www.epa.gov/airquality/takingtoxics/p1.html>). Something that Costa Rica could use
to get rid of the small amount of air pollution they have left is the United States cap and trade
protocol. This protocol will reduce the amount of pollutants made by large manufactures and
save money for them in the long run. In conclusion air pollution isn't a large problem in
Costa Rica but if we all work together air pollution will be gone for good and we can do it
safely and effectively.
WHO Topic A
Resources:
Air pollution now linked to 1 in 8 deaths worldwide UN health agency reports. United
Nations, march 25, 2014. November 3,
2014.<http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47426#.VHM8vmK9KSN>
Sacha, Bob. Air pollution victim.national geographic, 2014. November 10,
2014.<http://science.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/science/photos/lungs/air-pollutionvictim/>
Country profile Costa Rica Latin America and Caribbean. Environmental performance Index,
2014. October 27, 2014.<http://epi.yale.edu/epi/country-profile/costa-rica>
Deforestation. Viva Costa Roca!, 2003. November 10,
2014.<http://www.vivacostarica.com/costa-rica-information/costa-rica-deforestation.html>
Evans,Marcel. Air pollution in San Jose Costa Rica Threatens Health. The Costa Rica Star,
August 15,2014. October 27,2014.<http://news.co.cr/air-pollution-in-san-jose-costa-ricathreatens-health/24733/>
How Cane Sugar is made-Harvesting. Sugar Knowledge International, 2014. October
27,2014.<http://www.sucrose.com/harvest.html>
Kyoto Protocol. United Nations Framework convention on climate change, 2014. November
24, 2014.<http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php>
Mora,Roberto. Costa Rica's Commitment: On The Path To Becoming Carbon-Neutral. UN
Chronicle, June 2007. November 17,2014.<http://unchronicle.un.org/article/costa-rica-scommitment-path-becoming-carbon-neutral/>
taking toxins out of the air. EPA. November 17,2014
<http://www.epa.gov/airquality/takingtoxics/p1.html>
United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme.
United Nations, June 2014. November 3,
2014.<http://www.unep.org/unea/docsAdvance_English_copy_of_the_proceedings.pdf>
WHO Topic A
Germany
Air pollution is one of the world’s most unacknowledged killers. The harmful emissions help deteriorate the
environment with acid rain and warmer weather that causes droughts. The polluted air that is then breathed in by humans
causes millions of deaths. As a country, Germany openly acknowledges air pollution and is working to combat its effects and
causes. It is developing many types of technology that reduces air pollution and encourages its factories to use clean power. It’s
decision to stop polluting the air is a beneficial one that all countries should follow. Contrary to common beliefs their decision
of reducing air pollution doesn’t hurt the economy, in fact, it can help it grow. New jobs can be made for inventing new
technologies, for which new jobs will be needed to make them and eventually new jobs will be needed to run them. With the
combined efforts of all the countries, air pollution can be significantly decreased to a point where it is no longer harming
millions of lives.
Being the indirect cause of about 7 million premature deaths every year air pollution not only destroys the
environment; its destroying humans. Air pollution is most commonly defined as a substance released by humans into the
atmosphere that causes damage to life or the environment. The predominant air pollutant is carbon dioxide, a gas naturally
released by all living things but immensely increased by the use of modern technology. Most of our excess carbon dioxide
comes from burning fossil fuels in power plants, cars, planes, and so on. Other pollutants include methane, a gas released by
livestock, chlorofluorocarbons, a common ingredient in refrigerants until it was banned in most major countries, and sulfur
dioxide, a substance with similar origins as carbon dioxide that causes acid rain and reflexes light in the atmosphere. Acid rain is
one of the most frightening results of excess sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. Acid rain is rain that has an acidity level below
5.6 instead of the normal 7 on the pH scale. It causes acidification, or acid soil and water, which go on to kill or harm the flora
and fauna relying on the land and sea. All these pollutants float freely in the air. In concentrated areas like large cities, the air
pollution often combines with fog and creates smog. Smog is often seen as a large dark gray cloud. When people are exposed
to smog or other results of air pollution, short-term effects include allergy like symptoms. Long-term effects include lung
cancer, chronic respiratory disease, brain damage, and many other potentially live-ending problems. Germany cares about its
health and wellbeing and is taking measures to prevent and diminish the effect of air pollution.
The European Union is very active in preventing air pollution. As part of the EU, Germany is using four
main methods in the effort to reduce air pollution. It is often perceived as the world’s greenest country, and since 2005,
Germany has created emissions ceilings and environment standards that have decreased its emissions. It has also required
reduced emissions based on the emissions of the best and cleanest technology and introducing product regulations. Going
beyond these political commitments, Germany has a number of professionals working to invent ways of reducing emissions.
They create new technologies such as a wall created by Elegant Embellishments. Their steel and plastic facade has been
installed in New Mexico and is already decreasing the effect of emissions by about 1,000 cars. The wall is coated with titanium
dioxide, which neutralizes the effects of the emissions. Germany has also created multiple areas deemed “Green Zones”. Green
Zones are urban areas where certain dirtier cars are banned. Each car is required to be registered for red, yellow or green
sticker depending on its level of exhaust pollution. The stickers show how much the car is releasing into the air, red being the
most and green being the least. Inside Green Zones, many bicycle lanes and other methods of transportation that emit less air
pollution have been introduced. To satisfy the EU, and to protect its citizens, Germany is constantly working to decrease air
pollution.
Decreasing air pollution while maintaining a good economy can be achieved in many ways. The most influential and
effective is by developing new technologies that are more environmentally friendly. This can be achieved through the use of
electric cars, fuel alternatives, and renewable energy such as wind and solar. To create and maintain these technologies, many
new jobs will be needed, supporting and encouraging the economy. Setting rules and regulations about emissions will also be
vital in decreasing air pollution. Factories should be required to use clean energy sources and methods that emit less pollution.
This can be achieved by turning off power when a factory isn’t in use, or modernizing the factories with solar panels and other
clean energy sources. Citizen participation will also be vital to the decrease of air pollution. If a large amount of the public
carpool, bike, or take the bus around, then they will drastically reduce energy usage. Technology such as Germany’s wall will be
vital to a cleaner world. New and clean inventions will introduce a new and clean world. There are many simple and
extravagant ways of preventing air pollution, all of which are beneficial to both the environment and the economy.
WHO Topic A
Air pollution is extremely harmful and measures must be taken to prevent or decrease its presence. It is hurtful to our
environment and our health. Air pollution causes millions of deaths each year, all of which have a simple cure; decrease air
pollution. Germany has set regulations and introduced new technologies to reduce emissions. The have set up Green Zones and
worked hard to reduce their air pollution and increase their country’s well being. What they and many other countries have
done will introduce more jobs and create a better economy. It will decrease air pollution. Every country should follow the
European Union’s examples and work towards a cleaner and healthier environment.
Bibliography
"Air Pollution Facts, Air Pollution Effects, Air Pollution Solutions, Air Pollution Causes - National Geographic." National
Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.
"Air Quality Information for the Sacramento Region." Spare The Air: Health Effects of Air Pollution. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec.
2014.
"- Deutschland.de - Your Link to Germany." - Deutschland.de - Your Link to Germany. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
"Effects of Acid Rain - Forests." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014
"Germany Environment - Current Issues." - Geography. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
"Household Air Pollution and Health." WHO. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
Marsa, Linda. "January/February 2015." Discover Magazine. Science for the Curious, 7 June 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
"7 Million Premature Deaths Annually Linked to Air Pollution." WHO. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
WHO Topic A
Submitted by: India
School: University School
The world has many problems that seem nearly impossible to fix. Pollution is one of the biggest
problems on earth. Coal power plants, oil power plants, diesel, and gas cars are contributing greatly to
global warming. If the earth gets too hot, ice caps will start to melt, and if ice caps start to melt, the water
level rises, meaning that some low level countries will be flooded with water. Every year, the temperature
goes up around 0.6 degrees, which may not seem a lot, but over the years it adds up. Millions of people
die from pollution every year from too much pollution in their lungs. Not only are humans killed, but also
well over a million animals are killed each year due to pollution. Many humans and animals die due to
pollution each year, and the earth is getting warmer each year due to pollution.
India especially has a problem with pollution, since it is the third most polluted country in the
world. One reason India is getting polluted is because of its use of coal and oil power plants. India uses
mostly coal and oil power plants, which emit incredible amounts of carbon dioxide each year. Not only
are power plants contributing to India’s pollution, but also car sales are going up. This may be good for
the economy, but cars need fuel, and that creates carbon dioxide. Since India is the second most populated
country in the world, there are more vehicles that emit carbon dioxide, and there needs to be more power
plants to create energy for the immense amount of people, so there are more power plants, mostly coal
and fossil fuel. There has also been a recent coal rush in India, which will hurt the environment in India
even more. India will mine the coal, which will hurt the environment, and the miners mining the coal, and
they will use it for their coal power plants. India is using coal power plants, and their car sales are not
only hurting their own country, but the entire world.
One solution to this problem would be to use nuclear power plants instead of coal or fossil fuel
plants. This would bring the pollution rate down incredibly since nuclear power plants don’t emit carbon
dioxide at all. Not only are nuclear power plants carbon-free, but also they are actually quite safe. Many
people die from mining accidents, and the harmful carbon dioxide emission from the power plants. One
may say that it is possible to get cancer from radioactive waste, but it is also possible to get cancer from
the harmful pollution that coal power plants produce. Nuclear power plants are also extremely efficient,
having an energy efficiency of over 90%. No other energy sources can even come close to producing 90%
efficiency; not even coal power plants. Since nuclear power is much more efficient, safe and better for the
environment, and dependable than any other source of energy, India should support nuclear power.
Nuclear power is extremely efficient, requiring less resources to produce more energy, takes up less space
allowing more space to be used for other purposes, and more safe causing less casualties. Coal power
plants produce the most carbon dioxide; where as nuclear power plants produce none. Around one
hundred thousand more people have died from coal mining accidents than nuclear power accidents. Coal
power plants are not as efficient as nuclear power plants It slows global warming, and causes less fewer
deaths every year.
WHO Topic A
Submitted by:
Japan
According to Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map air pollution in Japan is mostly good except for scattered moderate air with
pockets of unhealthy for sensitive groups. Some causes of air pollution are transportation, electricity, other home fuel uses and
goods and services we buy. An average family causes the following amounts of air pollution each year, climate change (CO2)
ozone (NOx) , acid rain (SO2), small particulate, toxic lead (Pb) and toxic mercury (Hg) .
During the winter, cold, dry air moves in from China as well as from Siberia and passes over the Sea. As a consequence, the
western side of Japan receives much higher precipitation (i.e. snowfall) totals than the eastern coastline. The western side of
Japan receives large amounts of wet deposition acidic compounds. In fact, the worst region in Japan for acidic precipitation
occurs along the central western coastline. Air pollution on the eastern side of Japan is considerably lower during the winter
than the western side. Overall, the eastern part of Japan is known to have much cleaner snowfalls. However, the snow in the
eastern part of Japan can be polluted if it falls in an industrial or highly urbanised area like the Kanto Plain district.Ai rollution in
Japan becomes problematic on cold, clear still nights. After the sun sets, many air pollutants begin to accumulate near the
ground surface since there's no wind to disperse them. This is particularly true for locations that are located in a valley. These
air pollutants build up to very high levels during the night and as such, it can be quite harmful for anyone (irrespective of
whether you're predisposed to respiratory problems or not) to go walking outside in such smoggy conditions. Normally, the air
pollutants are dispersed once the sun begins to rise.
China has emitted a lot of PM2.5 due to its over reliance on coal and occasionally this is coming over to Japan. It has
become more and more severe in the past few months. There have been a few days when the sky was hazy and visibility was
low. Quite scary. To be fair, it’s not only China that causes Japan’s PM2.5 levels to rise.
Air Pollution in Japan. Digital image. Air Pollution in Japan: Real-time Air Quality Index Vsiual Map. World Air Quality Info, n.d.
Web. 9 Dec. 2014. <
htp://aqicn.org/map/japan/
>.http://www.world-weather-travellers-guide.com/air-pollution-in-japan.html
http://www.cleanerandgreener.org/resources/air-pollution.html\
"How Dangerous Is Air Pollution in Japan?" Zooming Japan. Zooming Japan, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
<http%3A%2F%2Fzoomingjapan.com%2Flife-in-japan%2Fair-pollution-in-japan%2F>
WHO. WHO, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.who.int%2Fen%2F>.
WHO Topic A
Jordan
In the past two decades many developing countries have faced the hardships of tough
economies, poverty, and undeveloped governments. Jordan is no exception to these hardships.
As a middle eastern country, Jordan has struggled trying to get their economy together as it is
largely based on horticultural and industrial development. That being said Jordan is also facing
the issue of environmental health and preservation. With such a prevalent use of fertilizers and
pesticides along with the excessive air trade and natural pollutants like sandstorms, Jordan
faces the issue of air pollution. The Jordanian government recognizes this threat and treats it
very seriously.
While industrial and horticultural improvement has positively affected the economy, it
has a negative effect on the environment. The government has concerns of how the air
pollution affects the peoples health and the agricultural health and is very aware that the
environment is suffering. The government realizes that even with the laws currently in place,
that there are many loopholes in these laws that need revising. Jordan in 2010, agreed to
partner with United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) to start a mission that would span
from 2010 to 2015 known as the Green Economy Initiative. This initiatives purpose is to aid
Jordan in the management of transport, land-use, energy, agriculture, and building, many of
which were formerly abused causing much of the air pollution in Jordan. Along with the Green
Economy Initiative, Jordanian minister of the environment has also began to use the Civil
Society Program (CSP) which he stated “The civil society has a strong engagement with different
local communities and the will bring out the priorities of the community whether it be
environmental or economy so it represents more the grassroots and it is usually diverse,
[which] makes it different than other governments that sets policies, but instead brings in a
local flavor.”
Jordan believes that air pollution is a prominent, yet solvable issue. They work along side UNEP
in reducing the negative effects of the building industrial and horticultural development while
maintaining the growing economy. Jordan is working to decrease the risk to the health of it’s
people and environment as they realize that not only are many Jordanians concerned but that
they have attracted global attention. Jordan has agreed to working with the Civil Society
Program along with the Green Economy initiative created by UNEP to decrease the air, water,
and land pollution by working directly with villages and managing the main contributors to the
pollution.
WHO Topic A
Submitted by:
Madagascar
Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical,
physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere
(http://who.int/topics/air_pollution/en/). Air pollution in all regions of the world is a big
problem. It causes countless diseases, such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, and
lung cancer. All together, air pollution related diseases killed about 7 million people, one
eighth of the total deaths that year. It is a problem in densely populated areas, as well
as rural ones. Indoor air pollution is linked to household stoves that burn coal, wood,
and biomass types. Outdoor air pollution is often linked with coal burning and fossil fuel
smokestacks that release dioxins, mercury, benzene, and other deadly chemicals.
Indoor air pollution is traced to burning unsafe chemicals as heat and cooking elements,
and not keeping them well maintained. These are what make the most dangerous air
pollutants. It is also a significant problem because over 37 million children live in areas
with unsafe air. They also are much more at risk from a body-weight basis. Air pollution
may be the single most concerning environmental health problem in the world
(http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/air-pollution/en/).
Household air pollution is the second leading cause of disease in Madagascar, where
more than 99 percent of households rely on solid biomass, such as charcoal, wood, and
crop waste as the main cooking fuel
(http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/09/18369967/addressing-householdair-pollution-case-study-rural-madagascar). “The risks from air pollution are now far
greater than previously thought or understood, particularly for heart disease and
strokes,” says Dr Maria Neira, Director of WHO’s Department for Public Health,
WHO Topic A
Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. “Few risks have a greater impact on
global health today than air pollution; the evidence signals the need for concerted action
to clean up the air we all breathe.” And, on top of that, air pollution has been found as
a large factor for climate change. 40% of outdoor air pollution and 34% of indoor air
pollution deaths are from stroke. Ischemic heart disease deaths account for 40% of
outdoor and 26% of indoor as well. Madagascar is strongly supports stricter air pollution
regulations in their country and everywhere around the world. Madagascar wants the
WHO to push people taking action and stopping air pollution
(http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/air-pollution/en/).
It is extremely important that this issue is resolved because of the extensive damage it
is doing. A large portion of air pollution is mindless things that are very powerful
because millions are doing them. Some easy ways to demote air pollution include
turning off lights and other power sources, keeping fireplaces and wood stoves well
maintained, and make the investment to buy energy efficient lights and other home
appliances. And even on road trips, do simple things like checking tire pressure, do not
spill harmful gasoline when filling your tank, and, unless completely necessary, avoid
drive-thru lines and make the effort to go in and not waste
gas(http://epa.gov/oaqps001/peg_caa/reduce.html). Air pollution is an awful problem,
but luckily one that can be easily dampened. Madagascar wants the WHO to make
clean fuel more obtainable by sending advisors to provide such fuels, and give strict
procedures about keeping clean chimneys and stoves through technical help with
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keeping them clean. If we take every possible opportunity to stop air pollution, and the
world may be a cleaner and safer place to live.
Bibliography
Air pollution. WHO 2014. 12/8/2014. http://epa.gov/oaqps001/peg_caa/reduce.html
7 million premature deaths from air pollution. WHO 2014. 12/8/2014.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/air-pollution/en/
Dasgupta, Susmita; Martin, Paul; Samad, Hussain A. Addressing household air
pollution : a case study in rural Madagascar. 2014 The World Bank Group. 12/8/2014.
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/09/18369967/addressing-householdair-pollution-case-study-rural-madagascar
Ways to reduce air pollution. EPA October 28, 2014. 12/8/2014.
http://epa.gov/oaqps001/peg_caa/reduce.html
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Namibia
Namibia's current policy with the problem of air pollution, is regulating mining
companies that have contributed to the problem with tailings; or ore remains from mines
that have caused soil contamination, crop contamination, and air pollution when the soil
becomes airborne as dust. The dust has been watered down to minimize the air
pollution, as a temporary solution. People living close to the tailings may have had their
health affected by it. The problem that hasn't been resolved by a policy yet is after a
mine has left the area, and left these tailings that have contaminated soil, crops, and
caused air pollution, what to do. The government has only regulated mines that are
currently active in Namibia, to work on solving the problem with air pollution.
As a policy solution that will keep air pollution from coming from tailings that have
been left behind by mines, mines that have left these tailings should be brought back to
the site where the tailings are so they can remove it properly using methods such as
tailing ponds. Tailings ponds are ponds that can store tailings in a variety of ways such
as creating a tailing slurry (sent into a tailing pond), dry stacking (removing the water
from the pond), and even underwater storage methods can be used. These are used to
store the waste made from separating minerals from rocks. The only danger of a tailing
pond is damn failure. Once all the tailings are no longer an environmental threat an
environmentalist should remove the soil, or cap it with a layer of plastic and dirt. The
language the resolution has to be in to pass is Namibia's official language, English.
The resolution to this will be to announce new policy that will prevent mines from
creating more air pollution is that after a mine leaves, enough of its workers will have to
return for a removal of the hazardous material. After the tailings are removed, the soil
must be decontaminated by an environmentalist by being removed or capped with a
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layer of plastic and dirt. This resolution should prevent Namibia's air pollution problems
getting worse, if carried out properly.
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Nigeria
Air pollution is causing a major problem for the people in Nigeria. Air pollution causes
irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, chest pain and many more problems. Air pollution can kill up
to seven million people each year. This is a major problem for the people in Nigeria.
Nigerians are suffering from catastrophic losses because of constant exposure to air
pollution. They have lost many crops, livestock and human lives especially in the Niger Delta
area. As a result of a lower food supply human and animal lives are lost.
Air pollution causes significant illness that destroys many of the body's systems such
as the respiratory system. This also is affecting many other parts of the world not just Nigeria.
Some ways to reduce the amount of air pollution can include using less mechanical
work and instead more physical work which would allow for more jobs. Another alternative may
include develop an environmentally favorable machine that will not release harmful gases. Air
pollution is not only effecting Nigeria but rather a global problem since it exceeds both national
and international guidelines. Nigerians are suffering catastrophic losses because of constant air
pollution. They have lost many plants, lives... This is a major problem because of the loss of
food supply and many deaths. Air pollution causes significant illness that destroys many of the
body's systems such as the respiratory system. This is also effecting many other parts of the
world not just Nigeria.
Some ways to reduce the amount of air pollution can include using less mechanical
work and instead more physical work which would allow for more jobs. Another alternative may
include developing a machine that does not release gas. These causes are not only effecting
Nigeria.
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Resources:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dep/air/aq/health-and-env-effects-air-pollutions.pdf
http://www.academia.edu/7795038/AIR_POLLUTION_AND_CLIMATE_CHANGE_IN_LAG
OS_NIGERIA_NEEDS_FOR_PROACTIVE_APPROACHES_TO_RISK_MANAGEMENT_A
ND_ADAPTATION
http://www.who.int/phe/health_topics/outdoorair/en/
http://www2.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventory-tri-program/reporting-forms-and-instructionsry-2012
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United States of America
Air pollution in the USA has been improving within the last few decades. The first
question is, what is air pollution? Air pollution is when air get contaminated with gas,
gas and etc. Air pollution is formed from cars, factories, fossil fuel and many more. A
person need about 3,000 gallons of air per day. There are many effects of air pollution
one is that you can get sick from breathing dust and gases it the air. Another effect of air
pollution is acidification. Acidification is when all of the sulfur dioxide emissions mixes
up with clouds and make the water dirty. So now the clouds are made of sulfur acid.
The results of that is raining acid. Since you don’t get sick and there isn’t raining acid
there were many companies or agencies that have been contributing for our welfare.
One agency that has been contributing is EPA, Environmental Protection Agency ,which
started in 1970. They are finding new ways to reduce the air pollution in the air. They
have done tests and research on how to reduce the air pollution in the air. President
Obama gave a speech about climate change on September,23, 2014. There are many
solutions to this problem. Government has already taken some actions by introducing
green energy. They are investing in building wind energy, solar energy and renewable
energy. The government is forcing companies to be more responsible with their
manufacturing activities. Air pollution is a problem everywhere,but there is a solution to
it.
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Bibliography
1.Air Pollution. N.p., 2010. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. <http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/airpollution/what-is-indoor-air-pollution.html>.
2.Air Pollution. N.p., 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
<http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollutionoverview/>.
3.State of thr Air. N.p., 2014. Web. 18 Dec. 2014. <http://www.stateoftheair.org/>.
4.What Are the Six Common Air Pollutants? N.p., 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/>.
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