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80% of City Dwellers Breathing Dangerous Levels of Polluted Air, says WHO:-
Three million premature deaths caused by ambient air pollution occur each year because 80 percent of urban dwellers are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution.
“Urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on human health,” Maria Neira, the head of WHO’s department of public health and environment, said in a statement.
The rising air pollution in urban cities is hurting millions worlwide, and it is worst in poorer countries, WHO notes. Those people effected usually succumb to death because of respiratory diseases, stroke, heart disease and lung cancer.
In UN’s latest air pollution data base, the report, which looked into data gathered from 795 cities in 67 countries between 2008 and 2013 conclude that four out of five city dwellers live with dangerously intoxicating air. The data examined PM10, particulate matter measuring less than 10µm, which can include dust, pollen and mould spores; and PM2.5, particles measuring less than 2.5µm.
The report also took into account the disparity between the rich and poorer nations. With the latter being 98% affected, while just 56 percent of people in rich countries were affected by the massive air pollution
Most of the low to middle income countries breathe air that exceed WHO’s safety standard.
The highest levels of small and fine particulate pollution, known as PM10 and PM2.5 respectively, were generally found the eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asia, with the average annual levels often exceeding five to 10 times the safe limits in low and middle-come states.
Dr. Carlos Dora of WHO emphasized the importance of eliminating industrial emissions to achive long-term improvement in cutting carbon emission, as well as utilizing green transport, solar and wind power.
In a press release, he said: “when air quality improves, health costs from air pollution-related diseases shrink, worker productivity expands and life expectancy grows. Reducing air pollution also brings an added climate bonus, which can become a part of countries’ commitments to the climate treaty.”
3 Recycling Trends You Need to Know Right Now
Reduce > Recycle > Reuse
The recent years have seen many exciting developments in the field of recycling. Many countries have taken the task of recycling their wastes while some countries seem to be having no success at all. As an individual, here are some things that you need to know about recycling – some latest trends that have been developing. Perhaps, you can implement these in your lifestyle and look forward to a better and waste-free planet Earth.
Plastic Bans
It’s not a mystery that most plastics take hundreds, if not a large number of years to photodegrade (which is still awful for the earth), or that they’re uncontrollably perilous to neighbourhood biological communities and untamed life. That is the reason numerous urban communities are beginning to address the plastic waste produced inside their outskirts.
Styrofoam specifically has been examined broadly, and cities and towns have been banning polystyrene. While it’s financially savvy and sufficiently robust for bundling, its light weight makes it inclined to being effortlessly spread by the wind, and it can leak styrene into the earth and groundwater.
Disallowances on Styrofoam, plastic shopping pack bans, and even bans on plastic bottles are ideally the push to eliminate unsustainable and pervasive plastics from earth’s surface.
Composting
Just 5% of the 26 million tonnes of sustenance waste in 2012 stayed away from a landfill. This implies there are still a large number of massive amounts of nourishment sitting at the base of a landfill that could have been transformed into a solid manure material for individual or city use. That is the reason more districts across the nation are beginning to make programs for natural material composting, and some are notwithstanding making it required.
3-D Printing
3-D printing has opened up ways to assembling that were at no other time thought to be opened: from business use and large scale manufacturing, even down to more private, individual use at home. 3-D printing innovation may even have the capacity to assemble a house in a day. Obviously, this innovation dangers expanding our reliance on plastic significantly further.
Thankfully, some are discovering crushed plastics from around your home – even used Legos and other plastic waste – can be a feasible alternative for printing. Certain reused plastics are less expensive per pound than virgin plastics at any rate. 3-D printing has endless positive applications, yet we ought to guarantee that the materials utilized are as economically sourced as could be allowed.
The Amount of Plastic Waste on Earth Is Enough to Wrap the Whole Planet
The amount of plastic wastes on the planet today is enough to cover the planet with plastic, according to an Australian organization. With 5 billion tons of plastic waste it looks like it is true.
Man begun producing plastic on the onset of the 20th century and since then there were 5 billion tons of plastic wastes.
This problem is so alarming that paleontologist, Jan Zalasiewicz, said that if the plastic wastes will be transformed into a cling wrap, it will be enough to cover the globe.
That’s why experts are hoping that mankind to seriously consider the conservation of our planet.
One possible solution is to increase recycling rate when it comes to plastic. Another is to lessen or even deviate from producing non-biodegradable plastics.
The scenario of future generation unearthing fossilized plastic is appalling. This is the consequence for man’s penchant to produce too much plastic without thinking about disposal.
During the latest flight of Solar Impulse over the Pacific, the pilot has had an alarming view. Pilot Bertrand Piccard said he passed by a sea of plastic wastes which is as large as a continent which goes to show that this is indeed a global problem visible in all parts of the world.
Environmental Impact on Health:-
Note – Datas are important in this case which can be quoted to write answers which will be more authentic than just stating a statement that is not backed up by data.
