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
contaminacion-latinoamerica-noticia-1727740
Las diez ciudades más contaminadas del mundo
