This is a picture of the Powergen power plant on Wrightson Rd. that I took on my little excursion through the streets of the capital. Today I want to touch on the topic of air pollution in the urban area, specific to Port of Spain. Air
pollution is defined as the contamination of the Earth’s atmosphere by the introduction
of particulates, biological materials, or other harmful materials to it that
disturbs the natural composition and chemistry of the air. This can be in the
form of particulate matter such as dust or excessive gases like carbon dioxide
or other vapours that cannot be effectively removed through natural cycles,
such as the carbon cycle or the nitrogen cycle. This is one of the worst forms
of pollution. Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are listed as two of
the world’s worst toxic pollution problems. According the 2014 WHO report, in
2012 air pollution was responsible for the deaths of 7 million people. Also contributing to the problem of air pollution in the capital is the high number of cars we have in the country producing copious amounts of Carbon Dioxide. Take a look at this picture. This is during the evening rush hour near City Gate.
While
robust vehicle sales suggest a healthy economy, the downside to having more
than 500,000 motor vehicles on the roads of a country this size are
manifold—traffic jams, pollution, lower productivity and costlier fuel
subsidies, to identify just a few (Trinidad Express).
The two main sources of pollution in the capital I guess you can say are anthropogenic: from stationary sources; such as the Powergen plants and anywhere there are fuel-burning heat devices, and waste deposition in landfills; such as the Beetham landfill, in which gases like methane are generated. To a lesser extent are natural sources, where smoke and carbon monoxide produced by forest fires, such as the recent forest fire earlier this May on the Northern Range contaminate the atmosphere.
Air pollution is linked to several health problems such as heart disease, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, stroke and respiratory infections as well as breathing difficulties (WHO). The
human health effects of poor air quality are far reaching, but principally
affect the body's respiratory system and the cardiovascular system. Around the world, children living in cities with
high exposure to air pollutants are at increased risk of developing asthma,
pneumonia and other lower respiratory infections. This implies that, unless
medical aid is in top condition and available, persons living in urban and
peri-urban communities have lower life expectancies than their counterparts
throughout the country that are less affected by this predicament.
Various air pollution control technologies and developments are well underway, both for land use planning and mobile sources. Other than the ongoing research to find cleaner and more sustainable fuels, other pollution reduction strategies can be adopted right here in Trinidad and Tobago, such as the regulation of the use of automobiles according to their license plate numbers; while vehicles with even numbers are allowed on the road on one day, those with odd numbers remain at home and vice versa, with persons using public transportation on the off days.
Two main questions arise from this however. How will people adhere to such an initiative? How will this reflect on their collective happiness?
There's only one way to find out, right?
References:
Love To Know. "Types of Pollution". Accessed May 17th 2014.
http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Types_of_Pollution
Trinidad Express Newspapers. "Too Many Cars". Accessed May 17th
2014. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/business-magazine/Too-many-cars-
226076551.html
World Health Organization. "7
million premature deaths annually linked to air pollution".
Accessed May 17th 2014. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/air-
pollution/en/
World Health Organization. "Ambient
(outdoor) air quality and health". Accessed May 17th
2014. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/
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