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To be able to look at the distribution of air pollution from factories and incinerators and its effect on human populations, we must understand the justice of air pollution and how it is a multifaceted topic that can change over time. There has to be a party that is being adversely affected by air pollution. They have to be in a position where, do to various social, and economic issues, are being pushed into being adversely effected. There also needs to be a responsibility by the polluters for air pollution. Air quality makes for and interesting issue of environmental justice. Clean air is necessary for healthy living. As a justice issue, it must be observed in a multidimensional fashion. This is so that it may be understood from the view of those being effected from air pollution, if it is by choice or not. Air pollution is very complex topic you have to look at the distribution of pollution, and the vulnerability and responsibility of people are very important for analyzing air pollution. Different communities may be affected differently than others, and they may have different levels of choice to be in a place that may have pollution or not. It is also necessary that we look at the economy surrounding a polluter, as well as the local and national politics that make up the landscapes surrounding air polluters. Pollution is driven by economics and politics, and it is critical to include those in our multi dimensional analysis of air pollution in northern Utah.
For decade's, areas of northern Utah have been exposed to air pollution. The west desert has long been unfairly deemed as a wasteland with little economic value. Do to this fact; it has been exploited as one of the great-polluted areas of our country. From the weapons t...
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11. Markosian, Richard. "Air Pollution in Utah." Utah Stories. Utah Stories, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. .
12. "Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Apr. 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
13. "Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. .
14. Vallette, Jim. "Pharos Project :: Blog :: The Signal: News and Notes from the Pharos Team." Pharos Project :: Blog :: The Signal: News and Notes from the Pharos Team. Pharos, 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. .
15. Walker, Gordon. Environmental Justice : Concepts, Evidence and Politics. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2012. Ebook Library. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
Los Angeles is one such city that has had some success in controlling its air pollution, with plans that are different from the ones Phoenix is using. Located in the Sunbelt, LA sees a lot of sunshine like Phoenix. It, too, has had a large population growth like Phoenix and has had to respond to that accordingly. Los Angeles has developed a few excellent plans to fight its air pollution, which I believe can also make a difference in Phoenix as well. I propose that we integrate those plans from Los Angeles to enhance the battle of air pollution in Phoenix.
Utah is known to have the best snow on earth, we have beautiful scenery, relaxation and recreation all within minutes of our front door. But what about that dirty air that seems to last for months? Utah has four of the nations 100 largest oil fields, which produces 1.2% of the nation’s output, with 3,600 active wells. Utah ranks 11th in the nation of oil production, and we have five refineries in the Salt Lake area that can produce 175,500 barrels of oil per day (House,2012). The major effect of these practices, is the effect of air pollution along the Wasatch Front and the serious health consequences on children, teens and adults.
For my local area, there are no environmental concerns; however, I learned of the detailed information available regarding air quality monitoring – which indicated that the air quality for our location is among the best air quality in the nation. (The state of California leads the nation in several aspects of environmental stewardship.)
Since the birth of automobiles in 1866, the majority of mankind has relied heavily on this mode of transportation, especially in the United States. According to the California DMV there are 24,290,288 licensed drivers in California (DMV, 2013), which is approximately 63.3% of the population. Ever since the invention of automobiles, gas emission into the atmosphere has become one of the biggest issues for mankind. In Garret Hardin’s essay, The Tragedy of the Commons, Hardin defines a common as a resource that is accessible for everyone in society. Clean air became a modern commons in this sense. The quality of air is especially bad in California where there are 31,388,901 registered vehicles for a population of 37,826,160. In 2012, the quality of air hit a record low in California’s Central Valley. If we continue to dismiss the issue of air pollution, we will gravely endanger our health as current air pollution related health effects already include lung diseases and cancer. The solutions to the smog pollution problem are to develop cleaner emission engines, as part of a technical solution, as well as raise awareness among the residents of the Central Valley.
U.S. Enviromental Protection Agency. (2011, January 13). Retrieved January 20, 2011, from Summary of the Clean Air Act 42 U.S.C. §7401 et seq. (1970): http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/laws/caa.html
For this research paper, I chose to discuss the Louisiana air quality and its effects on the community. I was raised here in Baker, Louisiana which is north of Baton Rouge. Growing up I noticed something very striking and odd. We are overly exposed to chemical plants and their outputs. Driving around Baton Rouge at night and seeing a distant flame I often wonder what it really was. I wonder how this was affecting the community. How was this affecting our health? Upon doing research, I discovered it is called upset emissions. Upset emissions are unplanned events which release VOCs into the air. The Bucket Brigade which is an anti-energy group refers to emissions as accidents. Every year they release an annual report which gives information on the State of Louisiana air quality. A group called Energize LA made a rebuttal against the report. They argued that the Bucket Brigade facts were inaccurate. The views of both will be explained in detail. For this research paper, there will be a discussion on the upset emission effects on communities and health. As well how it correlates to the previous class discussions on the Clean Air Act.
Nordhaus, Ted, and Michael Shellenberger. Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Print.
Pollutants are contaminants that enter and affect the natural environment which can cause negative changes. There are two main types of pollution, air and water, which occur from different sources and have different effects. Air pollution is the main cause of “dirty air” in the United States. Suburban areas suffer from outdoor air pollutants as well as indoor air pollutants. Indoor air pollutants are caused by the burning of coal and wood, which are used for heating. Outdoor air pollutants are caused by chimneys, in which smoke is released into the air, and crop fertilizers, which are generally used in rural areas. The impact air pollution has on humans are large cases of health defects in rural areas: such as cancer, tuberculosis, heart diseases, and low birth weights. J.P Majra, author of “Air Quality In Rural Areas” states that, “This leads various health problems, mainly affecting the respiratory and cardiovascular system...” (Majra, 2). This shows that if the United States alone uses this much fertilizer, in which affects our health, imagine how much the world will be affected. Kirk Smith, professor of environmental health sciences at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health states that ”nearly 10% of all lost-life years worldwide” has been due to air pollution (COEH
For example experts argued that the siting of landfills in Warren County made no scientific sense. This explains that the pollution sources are purposely placed in the vicinity of minorities despite the knowledge of the fact that it will the residents drinking water. Also, as shown in the article, “Environmental justice: Income, Race, and Health, “... Asthma prevalence in the U.S in significantly higher in minority and low-income populations than in the general population. Unequal exposure to environmental factors that triggers or exacerbate asthma may play a role.” This shows how the government places hazardous companies in minority dominant communities, which exposes them to toxic hazardous and unsafe conditions. This demonstrates how environmental racism is marked by contamination from different sources of
Air Pollution has had a very damaging effect on our nation most visited National Park, The Great Smokey Mountains. Two areas is has effected dramatically are visibility and vegetation. According to Nps, over the past 50 years “visibility in the southern Appalachians has decreased 40% in winter and 80% in summer.”(1) On an average day once can see up to 25 miles, however, this is quite bad considering normal conditions allow visibility up to 95 miles. When air pollution is at its worst, and the airborne sulfate particles from the burning of fossil fuels are at its peak, visibly can shirk as much as 1 mile. Vegetation on the other hand has also been the victim of air pollution. These ozone pollutants, taking a ride from the prevailing winds, are threatening multiple species of plants and trees. “Thirty species of plants showed leaf damage after being exposed to controlled ozone levels identical to those that occur in the park.” (1). Along with plants, these toxins can affect human health as well.” Not only does this unsightly pollution continue to reduce visibility at national parks, it also poses serious health problems to communities around the country, including asthma, bronchitis, and other serious respiratory ailments.”(2).
In an effort to improve the lives of Americans, the United States Congress has enacted several legislative acts to reduce environmental pollutants. The motivation to take serious environmentally protective public policies came after 1948 when thick heavy smog covered the streets of Donora, Pennsylvania. The incident resulted in the death of 20 people with thousands more falling ill from the respiratory effects of the smog which carried yet unknown environmentally hazardous air pollutants from two factories in the city. This tragedy made the United States government aware that they needed to be concern about air pollution, and before the United Sates Congress passed the Clean Air Act, as we know it today, there were two previous acts that began to shape what now is a truly comprehensible Clean Air Act.
The issue of environmental conservation and more specifically air pollution is one that has, for decades, now been a salient one. The California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act of 2015, for example, acknowledges the need to establish areas of critical environmental concern with the aim of enforcing robust measures for preserving the physical ecosystems of national parks in the area (Senate - Energy and Natural Resources). It, therefore, becomes even more worrying when we consider the fact that national parks in California are the ones with the worst air quality, and yet there is no indication of significant change (Barboza). A comparative report on the air quality of Joshua Tree National Park
Withgott, J., & Brennan, S. (2011). Environment: the science behind the stories (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
“Office of Environmental Health and Safety.” Hazardous waste. n.p. , n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.