Lesson 18-Urban Air Quality

Question 1

How season effects air quality

Answer 1

• Concentration of pollutants may increase five or six-foold in winter because temperature inversions trap them over the city

Question 2

How weather effects air quality

Answer 2

• During wet or windy conditions pollution concentrations remain low, either blown or wasted away.
• During periods of still, hot weather, pollution is able to build up to harmful amounts leading to pollution

Question 3

How does air pollution impact health?

Answer 3

• In 2014, the WHO found that urban air pollution was 2.5 times higher than the recomended levels in about half of urban areas being monitored
  -about 91% of world population lives in places where air quality exceded WHO guidelines
• accounts for 4.2 million deaths per year due to strokes, heart diseases, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases

Question 4

Air-pollution death cause

Answer 4

• Kissi-Debrahs unprecedented death occured due to high exposure to nitrogen dioxide and PM 2.5

Question 5

1) Clean Air Acts-1956

Answer 5

• Catastrophic smog in 1952 led to government legislating to prevent so much pollution

-introduced smoke free zones into urban areas and this policy slowly began to clean up the air
-90’s imposed tough regulations on levels of airbourne pollution, particularly on PM10’s

Question 6

2) Vehicle control and Public transport

Answer 6

• Congestion charges-charged in areas
• ULEZ’s-charged by emissions
• Greater provision of public transport
• Restricted driving days-Mexico City adopted ‘Hay No Circula’

Question 7

3)Zoning industry

Answer 7

• Industry has been located downwind of cities if possible as lacks of orevailing wind means that the air quality is better

Question 8

CASE STUDY AIR POLLUTION-London,UK

Answer 8

• Month of December 1952, smog killed over 4,000 people- high insidence of coal burning
• An estimated 3,799 Londoners died prematurely from air pollutants in 2019

-London pollution has also impaired normal feotal development, increased miscarriges, low bith weights and pre-term births

Question 9

Solutions for air pollution in London

Answer 9

• Energy efficiency
• Better public transport routes
• More parks and woodland areas
• Tree planting