The surge in urban air pollution has become an increasingly important issue. The effective mitigation of this issue requires an understanding of primary drivers like town expansion and transport-related pollution; this information can be useful to create measures to save the environment.
The major causes of air pollution in cities are traffic congestion and vehicular emissions. During the combustion of fossil fuels, pollutants are released. The major pollutants from vehicular emissions are greenhouse gases, which result in climate change. In this busy world, most people rely on private cars for transportation;this naturally leads to congestion, which in turn results in air pollution. A clear example of this can be seen in traffic jams. During heavy traffic, vehicles experience idling and slow speeds, resulting in extra consumption of fuel.
Another reason for air pollution is the rapid expansion of cities. Since the Industrial Revolution, urban sprawl has been increasing; this has resulted in the deforestation of existing land to create space to accommodate the changing needs of towns. Deforestation and increased human activity in towns produce more pollutants and reduce natural air filters like trees. For example, developing countries encourage businesses to invest in their country, and these investors expand existing cities. A practical solution is urban planning that incorporates green space strategies.
In conclusion, to combat the rising levels of air pollutions it is required to plant more trees in the existing space and improve existing public transportation networks.