Polluted cities, the hidden cost of growth

The ten most polluted cities in the world do I hide cost of growth?

Countries try to excel on the world stage through economic growth and if there is an ambitious plan and a shared vision of society, seek development that allows its people enjoy a high standard of living or at least decorous, taking as reference the economic state prior to boom.

The conditions for growth are the largest share in a very competitive market with more and more palatable raw materials, with more and better products, more and better services. Each case has its conditions and consequences.

 In the first case, it will be subject to maximum pressure on natural resources, environment, nature and under the pretext of business and growth, they can mortgaging or lose the future. This is the case of countries that export raw materials only and have a minimum respect for the environment (Peru, African, Arab countries). Buyers of raw materials do not mind at all if the environment salespeople degrades, just mind paying the lowest price (see the case of African and Latin American countries that have long-term agreements with China for the supply of raw materials).

In the second case, more rational and having its own industrial scheme, countries add value to the products they offer to move to others on the market. This is the case of industrial countries that rely on their industries and of course, the moderate use of limited natural resources.

In the third case, they are countries that do not have natural resources and shortages sometimes reaches the same soil, the physical space where a handicap development that does not stop them being ambitious, creative and top-level competitors. This is the case of Singapore (a country virtually "non-territorial" not seen on the world map), Israel, Japan, Taiwan and a few others. Creativity, ingenuity, offering unique services characterizes its offer to the world.

China is a special case. Has vast amounts of natural resources, a vast territory but also a huge population that puts great pressure all, want to be the leaders in the market, the economy in the shortest possible time and that has led to the use and abuse of resources , the use and abuse of ecological systems, the brutal deterioration of the environment and leads to question the quality and sustainability of growth. Growth with high pollution, what will be the future cost?

Therefore, the Chinese cities and India (country similar to China in  ambitions, growth, neglect and inference for the environment) top the list of cities of contaminated as a concrete and verifiable empirical evidence that growth and healthy environment are antinomian, and oppose trade off is all.

Singapore, by contrast, has one of the cleanest and most orderly cities, as evidence that growth, development and environmental protection are compatible, there is no trade off, or in any case, it is manageable. What is the real model, more viable, which it should be imitated?

WHO has set a reference level with an annual average of up to 10 micrograms per cubic meter; especially the level of pollutant particles PM2.5, the smallest and most harmful because they can penetrate directly into the lungs, which are considered the most dangerous and are therefore the best indicator of the health risks of environmental pollution . If the presence is greater it can be considered that there is pollution harmful to health and if less, the air is clean.

1. Beijing has not actually among the 10 cities most affected by pollution, but today its inhabitants wake increasingly often shrouded in a dense smokescreen. Smog in the air exceeds 500 micrograms per cubic meter. 50 times the WHO limit.  People can not go outside without a mask.

2. The city of Ahvaz, Iran, is the most polluted city in the world. Responsible factories are engaged in the distillation of oil and metal processing and gas located around the city.

3. The capital of Mongolia is not only cooler, but also the second most polluted city in the world. 70 percent of smog is produced in winter heating stove.

4. Environmental pollution is one of the most serious problems in Pakistan. Especially dramatic is the situation in Lahore, the second largest city in the country. The reason for the pollution besides excessive traffic and garbage-incineration is the dust that comes from the desert regions.

5. In New Delhi, 9 million 900 thousand inhabitants, the number of vehicles increased in 30 years from 180,000 to nearly 3,500 million. However, they are especially coal plants which contribute to pollution, producing 80 percent of emissions.

6. Sandstorms, like here in Riyadh, favor the development of smog because they increase the concentration of particles in the air. The intense sunlight becomes dirt emissions from industry and traffic ozone.

7. The poor air quality in Cairo causes chronic respiratory diseases and lung cancer pathways that cause the death of between 10,000 and 25,000 people per year. The reason for the pollution is excessive automobile traffic and an industry growing by leaps and bounds.

8. According to a study by the Max Planck Institute, Mainz, in New York and Tokyo die each year about 500 people as a result of environmental pollution. In Dhaka, seven million people are almost 15,000. There the researchers measured the highest concentration of sulfur in the world.

9. The polluted air of large cities is composed of various particles. Moscow, is formed mainly by a high hydrocarbon concentration. The west wind, which blows all year, working with some fresh air, at least in certain parts of the city.

10. Pollution in Mexico City is compounded by their geographical location. It is in the Valley of Mexico, a large basin of the high plateau of the central region, and around the Popocatepetl volcano, 5,500 meters high. Because of the high content of sulfur and hydrocarbons in the air for a long time it was considered to Mexico City the most polluted city in the world.

11. With an emission of 21 micrograms of particles per cubic meter of air, New York is the cleanest city of EE. UU. The policy of modernizing its fleet with filter systems that reduce emissions from public transport, contributed to this development.

Lima, capital of Peru, also has its problems. There are areas with 35 mg / m3; others with 80 mg / m3; but always above the WHO standard. And it is the most polluted city in Latin America.

  

References

Lima es la ciudad más contaminada de Latinoamérica

MIÉRCOLES 07 DE MAYO DEL 2014 | 09:15

http://elcomercio.pe/ciencias/planeta/lima-tiene-peores-niveles-

contaminacion-latinoamerica-noticia-1727740

Las diez ciudades más contaminadas del mundo

http://www.dw.com/es/las-diez-ciudades-m%C3%A1s-contaminadas-del-mundo/g-17456585