Smog is a problem around the world, but in the city of Los Angeles, it is especially bad. Los Angeles has been dealing with smog for decades, and to understand it, there needs to be an understanding of what smog is. Smog is one of the many pollutants that we as humans put into our atmosphere, and it is especially persistent in Los Angeles. There is a history of smog in LA, with the first instances of smog being seen as a problem starting in 1943. At the time, the causes of smog were not known, but first actions were implemented. Today, there is a much more advanced understanding not only of the creation of smog, but the effects it has on the people who breathe the air it contaminates. We know the impact our vehicles have in creating the …show more content…
But in order to find a viable solution to slow and eventually stop the production of smog, first there has to be an understanding of what causes smog. The biggest creator of smog in the world, or the compounds that lead to smog, is coal. Whenever coal is burned, be it in a home or in a large industrial plant, it is putting off some very harmful pollutants that react in the atmosphere to create smog. These pollutants were the main cause of the air pollution smog in London. Burning coal is also a major factor in the amount of air pollution that China has to deal with. But when looking specifically at Los Angeles, the main culprit for the smog that they deal with is the emissions that are produced from the combustion that happens inside the engines of cars and other vehicles. Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds are all released during the combustion of fuel inside of an engine, and as was mentioned earlier, these pollutants react with elements in the air to create smog. When you combine the fact that driving a car is producing the pollutants that then react to create smog with the fact that the Los Angeles county is one of the most densely populated areas in the United States, with most people driving instead of using public transportation, it’s no wonder why there is so much smog in the Los Angeles sky. Now, this might not be as big of a problem …show more content…
Smog has been an issue in Los Angeles for years, and there have been some mitigation measures taken, but there is still room for improvement. One of the biggest steps that has been taken is the increased standards for smog and emissions tests that vehicles in California have to go through to be permitted to drive on the streets. Emissions/smog tests are required every two years, as has been requisite since 1982. And the tests that California requires today are the strictest tests in the country. More mitigation measures came at the ends of the 1980’s, with restaurants being required to “scrub” the smoke from their char broilers, similar to big industrial power plants, in order to keep the toxic pollutants that lead to smog out of the air. Then, following an emphasis to find ways to reduce vehicle pollution, in 1996 automakers committed to finding a way to produce a car with zero emissions, and GM created a car that same year. And nowadays, there is a catalytic converter in every new car made, which works to convert the toxic pollutants that engine combustion produces and convert them into less harmful gases, like turning carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. In terms of possible mitigation measures that have not yet been explored, the biggest one would probably be an increased usage of public transportation. With vehicular emissions being the biggest producer of the
For the second part of my plan, I propose that we all take individual action to make the air quality better for ourselves and everyone else, like driving less and not topping off the gas tank. By encouraging local lawmakers to use the effective plans of Los Angeles and by actively taking strides in combating the battle of air pollution in our daily lives, the breaths we take can soon be of clean, ...
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.
When we think of air pollution we think of the refineries in our cities and the exhaust coming from our cars mostly. In reality there are many more pollutants that we don't think about every day. The six most common air pollutants are; “Carbon monoxide, Nitrogen oxides, Sulphur oxides, Particulate matter, Volatile organic compounds, and Ground-level ozone (nitrogen oxide and Volatile organic compounds reaction)”(David Suzuki Foundation). The fact is people are dying from air pollution and we are doing nothing to make it better, in fact air pollution is getting worse.
Smog looks and smells bad. The word itself sounds bad. In the short term, living with smog-filled air causes burning eyes, throat irritation and difficulty breathing. Over the long term it can lead to chronic lung disease, asthma attacks, debilitation, even d...
Prior to the industrial revolution the levels of toxic chemicals in the air were low. After WWII and the rise in the popularization of cars air pollution spread to many major cities. In the 1940s citizens of LA began complaining about yellow-brown smog, composed of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides. Because LA was one of the first cities to experience the impacts of air pollution they were also the first city to raise public concern of car emissions. In 1947 coal and fuel oil was banned from industrial purposes, however smog continued to rise. By investigating the cause of smog even further scientists in LA discovered the main sources of smog were engine exhaust, engine ventilation, the carburetor and the fuel tank. These investigations directly led to the creation of technologies that controlled emissions. Over the next few decades laws were written with the aim of limiting emissions. In 1990 the Clean Air Amendments set strict standards for emissions. This new policy led to more interest in alternatives to the internal combustion engine such as electric powered vehicles or even
As a country with more people, there are assumably more cars, meaning more gases will be emitted that harm the environment. However, if a rapidly growing population stopped growing as quickly, there would be less people to need cars, which reduces pollution. The vice director of Population Commission in Henan says that the population being controlled “have kept sulfur dioxide emissions down by 17.6%” and “[reduced] water pollution 30.8%” (Document C). With such a significant decrease, less people were being diagnosed with pollution related illnesses. Sulfur Dioxide, a gas that is emitted from cars, “is a major cause of asthma and bronchial infection” (Document C), and with less Sulfur Dioxide in the air, people can have a healthier life.
The drought has worsened over the past four years with the state seeing rising temperatures and dry conditions. Climate change has caused temperatures to rise and precipitation reduction, which worsens air quality. The lack of rainfall traps fine particles on ground level to spread in the air, which are harmful to human health. Young and elderly individuals are prone to developing short and long-term diseases from the air pollution. The warm weather increases the levels of dangerous pollutants in the air, which can be fatal when inhaled. California residents must understand the harmful effects of air pollution and make better choices when using energy or transportation. The drought conditions are worsening but communities and individuals can work together to help improve the air
Eighty percent of smokers began smoking before they turned eighteen (Statistic Brain-Underage Smoking Statistic). Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer in America. Adolescents are smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products more each day. Young people aren’t aware of the effects that smoking has on their body, some know the effects and still smoke to look “cool” or “popular”. The truth is that they are just slowly killing themselves. “Smoking kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life” (Shields).
Pollution is a major problem for all of us. People need to recognize this situation so we can start making a difference to this problem. In order to start making a difference, the federal government should increase gasoline tax by one dollar a gallon. Fifty percent of this dollar will go towards public transportation, since passenger cars and trucks are a major contribution towards air pollution, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, E.P.A (10/4, http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/emsns.html). Due to the expected increase after this is put forth, the remaining fifty percent of the dollar will go towards safety on these transits. When public transportation increases, air pollution will decrease, which will lessen the harmful health risks towards the environment.
One of the most dangerous environment issues Southern California is facing today is air pollution. This includes the burning of fossil fuels and natural disasters. Los Angeles is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and the most polluted city in the United States. I will research information about the causes, the effects, and the history of air pollution in the Los Angeles. For my research, I have relied mostly on, the school’s database and library, as well as current events.
In 2007, the world consumed 5.3 billion tons of coal, 31.1 billion tons of oil, 2.92 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, and 65,000 tons of uranium. All of these energy needs could have been met with only 6,600 tons of thorium, an abundant, slightly radioactive element found in the Earth’s crust.
Our planet is suffering from severe pollution, which ranges from contaminated air, water and soil as well. Humans are doing nothing to reduce the amount of pollution that is harming our earth. To understand how pollution works first you must understand that there are different types of pollution. The most common types of pollution and the ones that I will be focusing on which are the ones doing the most harm to our planet are air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination and littering. In order to help out and reduce pollution in our planet people need to be more aware of what these problems are and about the severe damages that they are causing our planet. Before industrialization really jumped into place and had an effect on large cities, nature had its own way of cleaning up its own air and itself. Wind scattered gases, rain washed many substances and the rest dissolved into the ground; while plants absorbed carbon dioxide and made it into oxygen. With big cities growing more every time and with more towns that were becoming more industrialized a lot of more waste began to be released into the environment and the atmosphere and soon this was more than enough for nature to handle. In order to stop and reduce pollution people need to understand the damage that it is causing our environment and our planet as well. People need to be more aware of how they can help out and do their part in reducing these problems that are causing our planet to die slowly with people not even noticing it.
Car pollutants cause immediate and long-term effects on the environment. Car exhausts emit a wide range of gases and solid matter, causing global warming, acid rain, and harming the environment and human health. Engine noise and fuel spills also cause pollution. Cars, trucks and other forms of transportation are the single largest contributor to air pollution in the United States, but car owners can reduce their vehicle's effects on the environment. Car pollution is one of the major causes of global warming. Cars and trucks emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which contribute one-fifth of the United States' total global warming pollution. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, which causes worldwide temperatures to rise.
Air Pollution is when a poisonous or a harmful substance is released in the air. There are many form of pollution but air is one of them, it only occurs when dust, harmful gases or smoke enters into the atmosphere and makes it hard for species like plants, animals and humans to live in a difficult situation because of the dirty air.Air Pollution is classified in two sections, invisible air pollution and visible air pollution.. Hence any substance that makes it difficult for the living things that need the atmosphere is air pollution.Humans have been undergoing air pollution ever since the industrial revolution.In order to understand the causes of Air pollution, it is divided into divisions. Primary air pollutants and secondary air pollutants:
Many cities are currently affected by air pollution and Hong Kong is one example. Hong Kong’s air pollution level often exceeds the recommended air pollution level put out by the World Health Organization, and Hong Kong’s pollution index was at “very high” meaning that it exceeded 101, for 34% of the time (Hunt, 2011). Another example, when Hong Kong excee...