SOLUTIONS TO AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution is one of the most serious problems in the world, In the future, police and crime prevention units may begin to monitor the levels of pollution in their cities, and deploy resources to the areas where pollution is heaviest on a given day. This may sound like the plot of a science fiction movie, but recent findings suggest that this may well be a worthwhile practice.

Why? Emerging studies show that air pollution is linked to impaired judgement, mental health problems, poorer performance in school and most worryingly perhaps, higher levels of crime. These findings are all the more alarming, given that more than half of the world’s population now lives in urban environments – and more of us are travelling in congested areas than ever before.

 According to World Health Organization (WHO) 2016, air pollution levels have remained dangerously high in many parts of the world with 9 out of every 10 people breathing air containing high levels of pollutants which is responsible for an estimated 8.8 million death every year around the world.

 This is particularly raising the disease and death burden in both developed and developing countries and women and children are the most affected especially from indoor air pollution coming from the continued use and burning of biomass to meet household energy cooking needs releasing deadly smoke.

 To a large extent globally, energy production and use are the major causes of air pollution ranging from inefficient burning of biomass to burning of fossil fuels which releases gases and chemicals into the atmosphere which does not only increase pollution in the atmosphere, but also contributes to climate change causing global warming.

These steps, as well as many others, are things we all can do to help reduce air pollution;

·         Conserve energy – remember to turn off lights, computers, and electric appliances when not in use

·         Use energy efficient light bulbs and appliances

·         Participate in your local utility’s energy conservation programs

·         Limit driving by carpooling, using public transportation, biking and walking

·         Combine errands for fewer trips

·         Keep your automobile well tuned and maintained. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on routine maintenance, such as changing the oil and filters, and checking tire pressure and wheel alignment.

·         Avoid excessive idling of your automobile

·         Drive electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

·         Use electric or hand-powered lawn care equipment

·         Be careful not to spill gasoline when filling up your car or gasoline powered lawn and garden equipment

·         Run dishwashers and clothes washers only when full

·         Choose environmentally friendly cleaners

·         Use water-based or solvent free paints whenever possible and buy products that say "low VOC"

·         Seal containers of household cleaners, workshop chemicals and solvents, and garden chemicals to prevent volatile organic compounds from evaporating into the air

·         Purchase and use low-polluting outboard marine engines and personal watercraft (4-stroke and direct fuel injection 2-stroke outboard marine engines).

·         Advocate for emission reductions from power plants and more stringent national vehicle emission standards

Finally, we are doing a fairly good job in cutting pollution in many countries, but we should do more. It’s not necessarily just government. But it’s also you and I. When we think about what we want to buy, how to get to places, we all affect the environment and we need to be more aware of that and make more informed decisions of what we do.

If we all begin to monitor pollution levels ourselves, we then might start making it a habit to avoid certain activities, like outdoor sports, or even commuting on the most polluted days. Our bodies, brains, and behaviours will benefit.

If we don’t act now, one day the air in our cities and communities will be so polluted that we cannot breath and oxygen bars will rise and will become an added cost to the already high cost of living and a heath burden to both the government and citizens. If everybody does the small things to reduce air pollution, the environment would benefit collectively.

I remain hopeful that rising pollution is something that is in our control to solve, but until we do, we need to make people more aware of the issues.