Air pollution is a prominent
environmental issue in many areas of the world today. Its impact is currently affecting our planet
in a drastic manner and has been a problem for many decades. Years ago, air pollution slowly began
destroying the atmosphere, but recently the rate of destruction has increased
by a great amount. Different factories
and forms of technology output harmful gasses into the air, like nitrogen
dioxide, which is a factor in the destruction of the atmosphere. In addition, these gasses not only harm the
ozone layer, but also ruin the air quality of our planet, making it harder for
people with conditions like asthma to breathe.
One specific region which is affected by this environmental issue is
London. London currently has large
amounts of pollution in the air, and also has had large scale problems with the
issue before. Back in the 1950’s, London
had a severe air pollution event called the Great Smog. A thick layer of smog covered the city for
five whole days which caused severe problems due to low visibility and also
caused problems with thousands of peoples respiratory systems. London’s current air pollution issues are not
as drastic today, but they still exist.
In a recent article by Krisha Desai, it was found that the air quality
at the London Olympics was not healthy and that it could affect the performance
of athletes with asthma or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Four years ago, when the Olympics were held
in Beijing, the air quality was substantially better due to the fact Beijing
banned the use of many cars prior to the games.
Before this ban, the nitrogen dioxide levels in Beijing were similar to
those at the London Olympics. This
proves that small and reasonable steps can be taken which can improve our
environment. If the “island civilization”
did occur, everyone would be in small cities on these little islands, causing
cars to no longer be necessary. Instead,
people would be so close to everything they could walk instead of drive,
greatly decreasing the amount of air pollution they produce. An “island civilization” with less air
pollution would be a great improvement for both the atmosphere and for the
health of humans.
I can tell you put a lot of thought and research into your post. The Great Smog in London did cause many problems back then. We need to take steps to prevent the air pollution level from reaching such astronomical levels again. If small steps like banning certain cars can increase the air quality that much in Beijing, Americans should take some small measures to help the air quality.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that London had such terrible air quality. I assume London officials know that the air quality is poor, so why did they not do something to make it better for the athletes? I also wrote about air pollution and found that it can cause permanent damage to children's lungs. I think we need to take the small steps to improve our air quality just like the citizens of Beijing, so we will stop harming the children of our nation. I like how you made the point about not needing cars in an island civilization, it is a good way to end your essay.
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