Summary: In Britain, air pollution annually kills 13,000 people a year according to a study done at MIT. Despite the countries clear violations of EU standards, it continues. However, 40% of the air pollution they experience is as a result of activity of mainland Europe, and the polluted air is carried over the channel on the wind. Mainland Europe receives a small amount
from Britain as well. Combustion emissions account for one third of all premature deaths in the UK, and the number of premature deaths linked to them is about the same as the total number of deaths for the same reason in the rest of mainland Europe. Of course, officials are hesitant to do much because they, as always, suspect that the cost of maintaining clean and breathable air for citizens may be too high for them to feel that the benefit does fully justifies the cost. The worst emissions right now are PM10s (soot), NO2, and NOx. One idea is to eliminate cars altogether and replace them with public transport.
Reaction: I utterly was flabbergasted by the statistics in this article. I knew that an estimated 3 million people die each year as a result of air pollution, but seeing the numbers broken down as they were really personalized it more. It is truly incredible how little our kind cares about how we pollute everything, from the water we drink to the air we breathe, and disregard the idea of solving the problems because of money. Seeing that combustion emissions account for about 33% of premature deaths in the UK was mind blowing. Does that mean, if you live there, you are more likely to die from breathing than from being hit by a car, or being murdered, among other things? That is truly terrifying, and refusing to solve the problem is nothing short of dastardly.
Questions:
1. What can be done to help fix the air in the UK?
2. What do average citizens think about the pollution?
3. How long might it take to fix the problem?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/20/air-pollution-killing-13000-people-year
13,000 people a year is a lot, and I am devastated by the number. It should be fixed as soon as possible and she accounted as Britain's top priority. I sometimes think that America, in terms of pollution, is is just as bad, if not; worse than Britain's statistics. To answer number 2: It really can't be answered defiantly. Some people think it is not worth the money because 13,000 isn't big or maybe, other thing, like cancer or other illnesses, kill more people and should be taken care of first. But other people, like me, think that pollution and the lack of care of average people is slowly destroying the Earth and should be stop and quickly as possible.
ReplyDelete-I'd just like to point out that there is some correlation between cancer and pollution. Also, I'd like to say that you are correct in thinking America's pollution is worse than even Britain's. We rank #2 on the list of most polluted countries, right below China...
ReplyDelete13000 people is a lot, and I am both surprised and not surprised by this number. to answer number 1, theres not much to do except reduce pollution output and plant trees and etc.
ReplyDeleteI think it is sad that we are killing each other because we need to burn things. 13,000 people is a lot of people impacted, we need to change our ways for the better. I can't help but think of Danora, and how bad things got there. I just hope technology can progress and stop people's pain.
ReplyDeleteTo fix the problem they need to reduce pollution entering the air. More bikes and hybrids should be used.
Ryan Marinelli
Wow, 13,000 people is an awful lot of people who die each year because of pollution. Although I would have thought that America would have more deaths because it has so much pollution. Britain should really start to look into improving the air pollution.Replacing cars with public transport is not a bad idea at all. Even though officials are hesitant,they should consider the fact that so many people die a year from this problem.If I were in this predicament then I would go straight to the government and try to pester them into enforcing clean air acts.This is kind of like how we learned about Denora. Even though that was with Zinc smelting, the same concept comes into play people getting hurt or dieing because of the quality of air.It certainly is a tragedy that so many people are dieing because of this.
ReplyDeleteQuestions
1. Exactly how bad is the air pollutions in the U.S., what are the major causes and why?
2.How long will it take for the air to return to its natural condition, and why?
3.I understand that the cost of maintaining clean and breathable air is very high, but why are politicians so hesitant if 13,000 people are being killed every year?