Air pollution in local & global context

Editor's Notes

• #2: The process of globalization is now around the world. Globalization combines international and multinational elements as a more advanced stage of integration between countries. All the dimensions of globalization somehow affect the natural environment. The vital issues of today are global warming, problem of greenhouse gases and climate change that affect the sustainable development. Scientists working in Antarctic have confirmed that levels of key greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming are higher today than at any time in the past 650,000 years Trans-boundary movement of atmospheric pollutants has international policy, economic, human health, and environmental ramifications. Atmospheric pollutants, such as aerosols, persistent bio-accumulative toxics, and gaseous pollutants, have significant impact on human and environmental health. A new generation of ground monitoring systems in connection with new satellite imaging systems provides an opportunity to investigate, design and implement effective monitoring strategies for these atmospheric pollutants. Atmospheric pollutants are of particular concern since air masses flow freely across borders, leaving the geographic and political jurisdiction of the originating country and becoming the responsibility of another. For example, sulfur dioxide emissions from one industrial region may be transported hundreds of miles and ultimately deposited as acidic compounds into a neighbor’s ecosystem. Wind blown desert dust and forest fire smoke cross international borders and increase particulate matter concentrations to levels that may exceed regulatory standards and harm human health. The stable chemical properties of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) promote their long range transport and their ability to bioaccumulate, which may increase toxicity in environments where they have never been used or produced. There Is Growing Awareness That We Now Face Pollution At The Global Scale and Urban Environments Are Key Drivers Of Air Quality, We are learning that Megacities have large environmental footprints and Regional Control Strategies are needed to meet local air quality targets
• #6: The Generally stable normal composition of the Naturally occurring air at the earth’s surface contains approximately 78% of Nitrogen, 21 % of oxygen and o.93% of Argon and rest, a mixture of several other gases as shown in the slide. The water vapour content of the atmosphere varies drastically with time and space ,and there fore, is not included in being highly variable.
• #10: The average adult at rest inhales and exhales something like 7 or 8 liters (about one-fourth of a cubic foot) of air per minute. That totals something like 11,000 liters of air (388 cubic feet) in a day. The air that is inhaled is about 20-percent oxygen, and the air that is exhaled is about 15-percent oxygen, so about 5-percent of the volume of air is consumed in each breath and converted to carbon dioxide. Therefore, a human being uses about 550 liters of pure oxygen (19 cubic feet) per day. A person who is exercising obviously uses a lot more oxygen than that. You could determine how much air is moving through your lungs by exhaling into a plastic bag of known volume at each breath and seeing how long it takes to fill the bag.
• #11: The human body has its own way of keeping the pollutants away from entering in to the system such as nasal hairs and eye lashes, Mucous secretions, Sneezing and coughing process to expel the pollutants out. These are known as body’s natural defence mechanism but dhere is a limit to it’s effectiveness and It has been observed that the continued onslaught of the atmospheric pollutants take their toll as once in side the lungs there is hardly anything that body could do to expel these pollutants and once inside they usually remain in side the alveoli of the lungs in form of deposits hampering normal function of breatheing.
• #16: There are various kinds of industrial activities associated with different types of Air pollutants such as Particulates, oxides of sulfur,Nitrogen and Carbon, un-burnt Hydrocarbons and specific air pollutanta such as fluorine etc.
• #17: In addition to industrial emissions, the burning of fossil fuels are also a major reason for the air pollution. The Bio gas and LPG are much cleaner fuels.
• #19: Pollutant and their health impacts Different Health Impacts are caused from Short-Term Contact and the progressive Long-Term Contact Suspended Particles (PM10 \PM2.5)* Lung inflammation * Respiratory symptoms * Adverse effects on the cardiovascular system * Increased need for medication* Increased likelihood of hospitalization * Increased chance of short-term morality rate * Increased risk of cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality rate * Increased lower respiratory symptoms and reduction in child lung capacity * Increase in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and reduced lung function in adults Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) * Changes in asthma patients’ lung function * Increased bronchial sensitivity in asthma patients * Reduced lung capacity * Increased risk of respiratory symptoms Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) * Changes in the pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms of asthma patients * Increased mortality rate Carbon Monoxide (CO)* Causes fatigue * Causes chest pain in heart disease patients * Impaired vision and coordination * High concentrations can lead to death * Impacts the cardiovascular system* Impacts the central nervous system
• #30: The human body has its own way of keeping the pollutants away from entering in to the system such as nasal hairs and eye lashes, Mucous secretions, Sneezing and coughing process to expel the pollutants out. These are known as body’s natural defence mechanism but dhere is a limit to it’s effectiveness and It has been observed that the continued onslaught of the atmospheric pollutants take their toll as once in side the lungs there is hardly anything that body could do to expel these pollutants and once inside they usually remain in side the alveoli of the lungs in form of deposits hampering normal function of breatheing.
• #50: Global Environmental Challenges are complex and have multiple causal and consequential pathways. For Example, deforestation is an environmental degrading outcome, but it is also a cause of global warming, biodiversity loss, and desertification. In turn, GW and desertification (acid rain, toxins, ozone depletion) contribute to deforestation. Environmental issues are also linked with Economic ones (e.g. globalization of trade, commerce, transportation has increased fossil fuel use leading to greater environmental damage. According to UNEP “Human activities are progressively reducing the planet’s life-supporting capacity at a time when rising human numbers and consumption are making increasingly heavy demands on it. The combined destructive impacts of a poor majority struggling to stay alive and an affluent minority consuming most of the world’s resources and undermining the very means by which all people can survive and flourish.” 2 Driving Forces of Environmental Change: 1. Overuse or misuse of resources 2. Increases in pollutive outputs (mercury, GHGs, CFCs, Toxic Chems, etc) This has led to affluence (in the North) without responsibility for the consequences: 1. underwritten by the degradation of people (South and lower classes in North) and land, biosphere, and environment. 2. While in the South, factors such as increased population and low technology also caused environmental stress. So, many scholars see that environment problems are tethered to larger social, moral, ethical issues in which these environmental problems are embedded.
• #58: What makes Global environment Susceptible Abuse of the ‘Commons’--areas beyond the sovereign control of a territory Widespread Transboundary pollution Local Assets important to all people (e.g. Grand Canyon, Amazon, African Plains) Local or National Environmental Threats best handled at the global scale Hardin’s ‘Tragedy of Commons’ Commons: are the areas beyond the sovereignty of any nation which produces a conflict between individuals and the common good over resources and protecting spaces. Examples: Oceans, subsoil, atmosphere, outer space, Antarctic ‘Tragedy’: It’s rational to use, which leads to exploitation, of these areas without reciprocation or regeneration Positive : the herder receives all of the proceeds from each additional animal Negative : the pasture is slightly degraded by each add’l animal