Air Pollution – Introduction
Air is the most omnipresent and free life giving resource provided to humankind by nature. Its crucial requirement for the very existence of life cannot be undermined, nor the need for it to be pristine and pollution free for life to thrive in a healthy manner. Unfortunately, with the need for more comfort and luxury by people, unscrupulous infrastructure development, cutting down of forests, and excessive use of plastic, air pollution is probably one of the most serious environmental issues in the world today. Consequently, exposure to the polluted air causes millions of deaths and lost years of healthy life annually. It exacts a massive toll on health and well-being worldwide. Air pollution is now recognized as the single biggest environmental threat to human health.
According to the World Health Organization report* air pollution kills 13 people every minute due to lung cancer, heart diseases and strokes. Each year nearly 7 million people die globally due to exposure to air pollution. 9 out of 10 humans currently breathe air that exceeds the WHO’s guideline limits for pollutants, with the people in low income and middle income countries suffering the most. As per United Nations Environment programme, children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution. One of their study** has shown that in UK 6.5 million premature deaths were linked to ambient air pollution. The burden of disease attributed to air pollution is now estimated to be at par with other serious global health risks such as diabetes and cancer.
In addition to health impacts, air pollution also has far reaching environmental consequences. It poses a major threat to climate across the globe and contributes to climate change by trapping heat in the atmosphere and leading to global warming. The World Weather research across countries has shown that the Air Quality Index in major capital cities in every continent have air pollution levels in the dangerous zones. In India, Delhi is considered among the most polluted cities of the world, which is confirmed by the Observer Research Foundation’s Report***. Air pollution also damages ecosystems and reduces crop yields, leading to food shortages and economic losses. Additionally, it kills flora and fauna, displaces animal populations, and seriously impacts animal migratory patterns.
The question then arises is, do we understand what air pollution is, and how do we tackle it for the benefit of all living species on earth? Scientifically, air pollution is defined as the presence of toxic chemicals or compounds, including those which have a biological origin, in the air. Air pollutants can take many forms. They can be in the form of gases, particles, or biological molecules. The contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chem
ical, physical, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere also comes under the purview of air pollution. The causes of air pollution have been categorized into two main types: natural and human-made. Natural causes include wildfires, dust storms, and volcanic eruptions. These events release large amounts of particulate matter and gases into the air, which can have negative impacts on human health and the environment. However, human-made causes of air pollution are the most significant contributors to the problem.
Human-made sources of air pollution include transportation, power generation, industrial activities, and household activities such as cooking and heating. Within this, basic household products like perfumes, floor and toilet cleaning agents, low quality paints, faulty garbage disposal methods, discarding technological equipment in an unscientific manner all have a role to play too. On a larger scale, use of pesticides, chemicals used in poultry and farm animal breeding, untreated garbage disposal in dump sites, unrestricted infrastructure development cause very high level of air pollution. These activities release pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds into the air. When these pollutants accumulate in the air, they can cause various health problems, including respiratory diseases, heart diseases, and cancer.
Air pollution in the present age is not restricted to a particular geographic zone in the world. It has permeated all continents, and due to the transient nature of air, any activity in one geographical area can have lasting ill effects in other geographic areas over time. The CO2 emissions from flights, burning of post harvest stubble in fields, use of adulterated fuel in transportation, industries not following pollution norms etc are all human generated activities that have worldwide impact on air quality index.
Considering the serious impact of air pollution, and an imminent global disaster in the making if it goes unchecked, this global challenge calls for immediate and collaborative response with the cooperation of various governments, environmental NGOs, and civil society organizations. It needs to be addressed through the legal, social, sociological, psychological, ethical and a collective responsibility paradigm. The combined efforts from governments, individuals, businesses, philanthropic entities and judiciary will be the only way to reduce emissions, daily household practices, agricultural and forestry rules, waste disposal laws and building norms. By working together, societies, countries and all stake holders create a cleaner and healthier future for us and for the future generations. Yet it requires a conscientious approach, a long term outlook, some tough decisions and a collective effort on everyone’s part.
According to the World Health Organization report* air pollution kills 13 people every minute due to lung cancer, heart diseases and strokes. Each year nearly 7 million people die globally due to exposure to air pollution. 9 out of 10 humans currently breathe air that exceeds the WHO’s guideline limits for pollutants, with the people in low income and middle income countries suffering the most. As per United Nations Environment programme, children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution. One of their study** has shown that in UK 6.5 million premature deaths were linked to ambient air pollution. The burden of disease attributed to air pollution is now estimated to be at par with other serious global health risks such as diabetes and cancer.
In addition to health impacts, air pollution also has far reaching environmental consequences. It poses a major threat to climate across the globe and contributes to climate change by trapping heat in the atmosphere and leading to global warming. The World Weather research across countries has shown that the Air Quality Index in major capital cities in every continent have air pollution levels in the dangerous zones. In India, Delhi is considered among the most polluted cities of the world, which is confirmed by the Observer Research Foundation’s Report***. Air pollution also damages ecosystems and reduces crop yields, leading to food shortages and economic losses. Additionally, it kills flora and fauna, displaces animal populations, and seriously impacts animal migratory patterns.
The question then arises is, do we understand what air pollution is, and how do we tackle it for the benefit of all living species on earth? Scientifically, air pollution is defined as the presence of toxic chemicals or compounds, including those which have a biological origin, in the air. Air pollutants can take many forms. They can be in the form of gases, particles, or biological molecules. The contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chem
ical, physical, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere also comes under the purview of air pollution. The causes of air pollution have been categorized into two main types: natural and human-made. Natural causes include wildfires, dust storms, and volcanic eruptions. These events release large amounts of particulate matter and gases into the air, which can have negative impacts on human health and the environment. However, human-made causes of air pollution are the most significant contributors to the problem.
Human-made sources of air pollution include transportation, power generation, industrial activities, and household activities such as cooking and heating. Within this, basic household products like perfumes, floor and toilet cleaning agents, low quality paints, faulty garbage disposal methods, discarding technological equipment in an unscientific manner all have a role to play too. On a larger scale, use of pesticides, chemicals used in poultry and farm animal breeding, untreated garbage disposal in dump sites, unrestricted infrastructure development cause very high level of air pollution. These activities release pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds into the air. When these pollutants accumulate in the air, they can cause various health problems, including respiratory diseases, heart diseases, and cancer.
Air pollution in the present age is not restricted to a particular geographic zone in the world. It has permeated all continents, and due to the transient nature of air, any activity in one geographical area can have lasting ill effects in other geographic areas over time. The CO2 emissions from flights, burning of post harvest stubble in fields, use of adulterated fuel in transportation, industries not following pollution norms etc are all human generated activities that have worldwide impact on air quality index.
Considering the serious impact of air pollution, and an imminent global disaster in the making if it goes unchecked, this global challenge calls for immediate and collaborative response with the cooperation of various governments, environmental NGOs, and civil society organizations. It needs to be addressed through the legal, social, sociological, psychological, ethical and a collective responsibility paradigm. The combined efforts from governments, individuals, businesses, philanthropic entities and judiciary will be the only way to reduce emissions, daily household practices, agricultural and forestry rules, waste disposal laws and building norms. By working together, societies, countries and all stake holders create a cleaner and healthier future for us and for the future generations. Yet it requires a conscientious approach, a long term outlook, some tough decisions and a collective effort on everyone’s part.
Comments
Post a Comment