Air Quality
By Georgia, Vanessa and Toby
Spatial Dimension
• Air quality differs between places, at different times, and under different
weather conditions
• Increasing population and demand for more goods put greater pressure
on air quality
• Eg. Linfen, china is the home of industry coal in china which means sulfur
dioxide and other toxic chemicals are in the air
Ecological Dimension
• Human interactions include transport, industrial activity, smoking, dust
storms from overgrazing on marginal land, bushfires and burning fossil
fuels
• E.g. Mexico City, Mexico Because of its geographical location, Mexico is
having a hard time with its air pollution. With three mountains around
them and an area high above sea level, Mexico City’s smog gets trapped in
clouds and humid air. The Mexico tries to do something about it alright,
but with four million people living in the city, it’s hard to get things done.
They experience about 300 days of really high ozone levels because of the
cars polluting it.
Processes
• The sun is the source of energy for the circulation of the atmosphere and
changing weather patterns.
• Topography plays an important role in temperature inversions.
• Cairo, Egypt: Hydrocarbons, lead, and other particles cause this city to
become one of the worst in the world. The city’s pollution is similar to
Mexico City and LA, made much worse because of the hot weather and
lack of rain. The air quality is about 100 times worse than the safe
standards.
Impact of the economic and human costs of air quality
• Smog, enhanced greenhouse effect, asthma, lung cancer, lead poisoning
and death of vegetation
• La Oroya, Peru: Lead is the major problem in this small city. Although this
is a mountain village with a small population, the smelting industries has
made this unlivable. Sadly, there are still families living in the area and
99% of the children have large amounts of lead in their bodies. It will take
centuries and millions of dollars to lower the lead contamination.
Newspaper Article 1
• SYDNEY'S air quality is only going to get worse, with a state
government report signaling that residents will suffer from rising
levels of ozone, a primary cause of respiratory diseases such as
asthma. The problem will be worst in the region stretching from
Richmond in the north to Macarthur in the south and centred on
Bringelly - identified as major growth areas for the city - where
ozone is already found at higher levels than the rest of Sydney.The
report, compiled by the Department of the Environment, Climate
Change and Water, argues that unless the government takes
additional measures to reduce emissions, population growth will
boost petrochemical smog, which could ''significantly worsen
Sydney's air quality, and potentially expose more people to ozone
concentrations'' above national air quality standards
• http://www.smh.com.au/environment/ozone-levels-to-worsenover-next-15-years-20100308-psuy.html.
Newspaper article 2
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Sydneysiders endured 37 days of high air pollution last year, with air quality breaching national standards
on 19 days, says the NSW opposition.
The figures, made public on Sunday by opposition environment sustainability spokeswoman Catherine
Cusack, showed the number of high pollution days had almost doubled from 19 days in 2007/08 to 37 days
in 2008/09. There were also 19 days where National Air Quality Standards were exceeded.
In 2007/08, Sydney recorded only five such days.
"For Sydney to exceed these standards 19 times in a single year is a distressingly bad performance that
requires substantial response from government," Ms Cusack said in a statement.
"Sydney's unfortunate record as the city with the dirtiest air in Australia was boosted last year."
Ms Cusack had requested the information on air pollution in the Sydney metropolitan region from the
government in a parliamentary question on notice.
She said air quality was a major environmental and health issue in the Sydney Basin, with experts putting
the cost to human health at more than $4.7 billion each year.
"It is both socially and economically irresponsible to dismiss these astronomical costs," she said.
Ms Cusack accused the NSW government of blaming dry weather and motorists while doing nothing to
address traffic congestion, a lack of public transport or protecting native vegetation.
"We also need better air quality monitoring systems and zero tolerance of increased emissions from the
Sydney basin," she said.
"With growing lungs and developing organs, every child has a right to breathe clean fresh air.
"It is a travesty that Western Sydney has the most children and by far the dirtiest air in Australia."
Air quality is considered to be poor when it reaches 100 or more on the Air Quality Index.
On September 23, the day of Sydney's dust storm, the level reached 4,164.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/air-quality-in-sydney-breaches-safelevels-19-times-20100117-me85.html#ixzz1mQgOWHhT
Outline the precise responses of individuals and
groups
• CenSARA promotes the exchange of information between our states and
other interested parties related to the control of the air pollution. These
actions are to be accomplished within the scope of the air quality statutes
and regulations. We are chartered to act as a forum to discuss air quality
issues of common concern to the central states and to help identify
options that can effectively resolve these issues; to recommend courses of
actions to our members; to adopt resolutions or policy statements for
considerations and implementation by the membership or for their usage
during the development of local, state and federal programs, regulations
and laws.
Recommend further actions that can be taken to
minimise the impact of the issue
• Global warming already annoys millions of lives daily
in the forms of harmful weather patterns and loss of
habitat.
• What is already happening is just the start for it is
our children and grandchildren who may suffer most
from the effects of global warming
Credits
• Bibilography
• http://www.environmentalsciencedegrees.net/blog/2010/top-10-worldcities-with-poor-air-quality/
• http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Action-to-Reduce-Global-Warming