How does Environmental pollution affect the western world?

Environmental pollution is one of the most serious problems facing humanity and other life forms on our planet today.

Environmental Pollution

With the development of society and technology, a large number of environmental resources are required. Pollutant emissions from a large number of industrial areas and communities lead to environmental pollution. With the improvement of people's quality of life, people pay more attention to physical health. Environmental pollution has always been a concern of people. In order to have a good living environment and a healthy diet, environmental pollution needs to be taken seriously.

What causes environmental pollution？

Pollution occurs when the natural environment cannot destroy elements without causing harm or destruction. The elements involved are not naturally produced and the destruction process can range from days to thousands of years (for example, in the case of radioactive pollutants). In other words, pollution occurs when nature does not know how to break down elements that are brought into the natural environment in an unnatural way.

How environmental pollution affects health？

High air pollution levels can immediately lead to health problems such as increased cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, increased stress on the heart and lungs, damage to the respiratory system, etc.

Is pollution an economic problem?

The Rising Costs of Pollution and What Can Be Done About It. The two biggest pollution problems arke in the air and water. They cause billions in damage to the environment and to health. A growing problem is plastic pollution, which is damaging our food supply.

Air pollution in the Western World

The World Health Organization has shown that air pollution threatens people's health in many parts of the world. New estimates for 2018 show that nine out of ten people breathe air containing high concentrations of pollutants. Global (outdoor) and household (indoor) air pollution causes approximately 7 million deaths worldwide each year. In the Western Pacific region alone, approximately 2.2 million people die each year.

World Health Organization, “Air pollution in Western Pacific”, 2 May 2018.

Air pollution—the silent killer

The World Health Organization published an article "Air Pollution in the Western Pacific" on May 2, 2018. According to the report, air pollution can cause strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and respiratory infections. Emissions from factories, transportation, coal-fired power plants and the use of domestic solid fuels are the main causes of air pollution. If air pollution continues to rise, it will affect the economy and people's quality of life.

Air pollution make people die

Christina Nunez, Feb 4, 2019.

According to the World Health Organization, insufficient outdoor air globally caused approximately 4.2 million premature deaths in 2016, and most areas are in low- and middle-income countries.

Indoor smoke affects people's health, such as burning kerosene and coal for cooking and heating. Air pollution also causes respiratory diseases.

According to estimates by the American Lung Association, nearly 134 million people (40% of the population) are at risyk of illness and premature death in the United States due to air pollution.

Through this article, I learned that air pollution can cause serious harm and cause respiratory diseases. We need to strictly control air pollution.

“Air pollution is getting worse, and data show more people are dying”

Christopher Ingraham, Oct 23, 2019.

The map of American air pollution in 2014

Christopher Ingraham gave data showing that air pollution in the United States deteriorated in 2017 and 2018, which is a reversal after years of continuous improvement and has a major impact on public health.

 Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University said that in 2018 alone, a decline in air quality in the U.S. caused nearly 10,000 deaths compared to the 2016 baseline.

 Fine particles can damage a person's respiratory system, cause it to build up in the brain, and send people to the emergency room. The elderly seem to be particularly vulnerable to PM2.5, which is associated with dementia and cognitive decline.

Air Pollution is back on the rise

Air Pollution is back on the rise

Data show that the concentration of pollutants has risen by about 5.5% since 2016.

researchers at Carnegie Mellon University believe that this is due to increased gas usage and people driving more cars. The corresponding increase in emissions from these sources is more than enough to offset the level of decline achieved by the reduction in coal burned by US power plants.

Forest fires

The western U.S. has been locked in a drought for years. The dry, hot weather has increased the intensity and destructiveness of forest fires.

The increase in wildfires is another reason, as they release large amounts of smoke and fine particles into the atmosphere. Especially the California fire in 2018 played a role in exacerbating national air pollution. The researchers wrote that eliminating those fires from the analysis could reduce the increase in pollution in 2017 and 2018, but it could not eliminate them.

Iceberg melts

An iceberg melts in the waters off Antarctica. Climate change has accelerated the rate of ice loss across the continent.

Climate change

In Glacier National Park, forests are feeling the effects of early snowmelt and long, dry summers. The stresses on the park's flora are exacterbated by climate change.

 https://www.oecd.org/environment/indicators-modelling-outlooks/Policy-Highlights-Economic-consequences-of-outdoor-air-pollution-web.pdf

The projected increase in concentrations of PM2.5 and ozone will in turn lead to substantial effects on the economy. According to the calculations in this report, global air pollution-related healthcare costs are projected to increase from USD 21 billion (using constant 2010 USD and PPP exchange rates) in 2015 to USD 176 billion 2005 in 2060. By 2060, the annual number of lost working days, which affect labour productivity, are projected to reach 3.7 billion (currently around 1.2 billion) at the global level.

Because the sources of air pollutants and the economic consequences of air pollution are unevenly distributed among different regions, policies need to be formulated based on different regions.

Through this article, I learned that environmental pollution will have different impacts on different regions, so we need to formulate plans and policies based on local actual conditions.

After research, I found that with the continuous development of the city, air pollution has increased continuously in recent years, causing great harm to people's health and living environment. Environmental pollution has different impacts on different regions. Most of the air pollution is concentrated in industrialiezed areas and large cities. Environmental changes and global warming are also factors that cause environmental pollution. Western developed countries have relatively low levels of environmental pollution, and good ecological environments and biodiversity have brought them huge economic benefits. Therefore, in order to better protect the environment, we need to strictly control pollution emissions and deforestation.