Urban environmental issues Flashcards
1
Q
What is atmospheric pollution?
A
Small particles of harmful pollutants that are released into the atmosphere from emissions
2
Q
More particulates are found in ______ areas than ______ areas.
A
Urban, rural
3
Q
What are the four main sources of particulate:
A
- Vehicle exhausts
- Burning
- Construction and mining
- Plants and moulds.
4
Q
How does photochemical smog form?
A
- Pollutants (e.g. hydrocarbons) come from burning fossil fuels.
- When in contact with sunlight, the UV light causes them to break down into harmful chemicals, producing photochemical smog.
5
Q
Give 4 ways how urban atmospheric pollution can be managed:
A
- Congestion charging
- Public transport improvements
- Legislation
- Alternative fuels
6
Q
How does congestion charging help to manage atmospheric pollution?
A
- Vehicles are restricted from entering certain places at certain times
- Reduces road traffic
- However, some people travel around the edge of zones to avoid being charged, increasing road traffic in this area.
- Large volume of traffic means it is difficult to process all the fines.
7
Q
How does public transport improvements help to manage atmospheric pollution?
A
- Encourages people to use public transport instead of their cars.
- However, improvemets are often expensive.
- They can cause other problems e.g. park and ride schemes can shift traffic to rural areas.
8
Q
How does legislation help to manage atmospheric pollution?
A
- Limits emissions and setting air quality standards.
- e.g. Road vehicle regulations reduce exhaust emissions by ensuring cars can pass an emissions test on their MOT
9
Q
How do alternative fuels help to manage atmospheric pollution?
A
- Petrol and diesel are replaced with cleaner fuels that pollute less.
- e.g. biofuels, liquefied petroleum gas, electric vehicles.
