Air pollution in metropolitan areas poses significant thread to the health and well-being of urban populations. This essay will examine the causes of air pollution and introduce potential measures that can be taken to reduce it.
Certainly, the improvement of air quality in urban areas is a major challenge of the 21st century, as urbanisation, CO2 and fine dust emissions intensify. In the first part of the analyses, two major aspects of human activity, that cause air pollution, will be introduced. One of the major sources of air pollution is traffic, which is most present in cities, causing the issue to accumulate in urban regions. Traditional car engines burn fuel, thereby producing CO2 and fine dust. Diesel engines, in this context, are the most problematic. In addition, the usage of car tires and breaks adds to fine dust emission. The second cause of air pollution has negative impacts on the air quality on both a regional and global scale. The industry, especially fossil fuel based energy generation, is emitting tons of CO2 into the planets atmosphere everyday. There are a variety of effective measures, that can be taken to mitigate air pollution. Firstly, traffic can be reduced in urban areas, by, for example, expanding the public transport system. In addition, cycling lanes can be integrated into the urban infrastructure more consequently, to allow save and enjoyable biking. In order to reduce global CO2 emissions, the transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is essential. Fortunately, technological advancements have enabled humanity to harness the energy from the sun, wind or water, presenting effective alternatives to burning fossil fuels.
To conclude, mitigating air pollution is one of the major challenges of the 21. century. Nevertheless, technological advancements have brought effective measures to tackle the challenge, thereby enhancing the life-quality in urban areas significantly.