3/29/20
Air pollution is a pretty clear term, it is when pollutants from things such as factories worsen the air quality in communities. Air pollution is often an overlooked issue in the United States because we are not to the point where enough people are dying of poor quality that the government feels that they need to address it. The map below shows the air pollution in the U.S back in 2014, there it is air that there is an air quality problem in about 1/4 of the country. Those numbers of air pollution have only risen, since 2016 pollutants have risen 5.5% (Washington Post). Air pollution can lead to things such as dementia, cognitive decline, respiratory problems and even death. In 2018 nearly 10,000 deaths in the U.S were linked to the bad air quality (Washington Post). It should also be noted that those suffering from this bad air quality is often the lower class as well as minorities. This relates to our course because we often talk about how the environment is slowly getting worse and is becoming less and less habitable. This is just another example of how we are killing our planet by having so much pollution that the natural cycles are earth cannot turn our air fresh and clean anymore. This also relates to how we discussed the tipping point in an environment or ecosystem, that relates to the air quality/pollution issue as well because we are on our way to a point where air pollution will affect the air quality too much that we cannot come back from it, making our air no longer safe. My viewpoint on this issue is that air pollution should be paid attention to a lot more our government and they should put regulations in place in order to keep the air quality healthy for citizens. Things are just getting worse and we should not get to a place beyond where we can return from.
This photo demonstrates how air pollution is rising across the U.S
Citation:
Ingraham, Christopher. “Air Pollution Is Getting Worse, and Data Show More People Are Dying.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Oct. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/10/23/air-pollution-is-getting-worse-data-show-more-people-are-dying/.
I like how you point out that we typically ignore air pollution because we are not at the point where a lot of people are dying because of it. Hopefully, we start caring before it is too late! It is also interesting that you pointed out how minorities and people with lower incomes seem to be disproportionally affected by the issue of air pollution. We are probably going to need to put more regulations on air quality in place, before it is too late.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that air pollution can lead to dementia and cognitive decline. It's crazy to hear that in 2018 10,000 deaths were the result of air pollution. Furthermore, I think its really interesting that air pollution disproportionately affects minorities.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you went about presenting this topic. I totally agree with you when you said it is overlooked. It was also really shocking to me that in 2018 there were 10,000 deaths associated with air pollution.
ReplyDeleteI did not know what the consequences of air pollution were in regards to human health. I always thought of the consequences in regards to the planet. Know we know two major things are at stake.
ReplyDeleteIt's shocking to hear the negative effects that air pollution can have not only on the environment but, on our health. I completely agree that this is a topic that is overlooked, and it's saddening to hear that it is effecting minorities and lead us to 10,000 deaths in 2018. This is something that needs to be talked about more so people can become educated on the issues that could be affecting them or their loved ones.
ReplyDeleteWhile everyone knows the harmful pollution effects on the environment, the effects on humans aren't normally discussed. Especially considering the amount of deaths that are associated with it.
ReplyDeleteTo expand on what you very briefly noted is that this really is a human rights issue because people of lower incomes and minorities are disproportionately impacted by air pollution. Therefore, they are forced to pay for medical bills caused by air pollution and are forced further into poverty.
ReplyDeleteIt was really interesting to read kind of a new look on something we hear about all the time. The effects pollution has on humans is never really discussed, but rather the other effects pollution has. Great topic!
ReplyDeleteit is crazy to read about how the air pollution affecting on people's lives and also it's crazy to read that in 2018 10,000 deaths were the result only because of air pollution. Many don't pay much attention to the air pollution.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very sad realization that our government does not care about air pollution because it does not affect a large enough population. People are getting diseases and dying because of pollution already. How is this not enough proof? Thank you for bringing awareness to this topic.
ReplyDeleteIt is shocking to see the areas impacted by air pollution and the places that are relatively clean. Not something I really knew a great deal about but it was nonetheless fascinating to learn about the harmful effects of air pollution.
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