Archive for November, 2008

China’s big cities have some of the highest concentrations of air pollution in the world. Most of the time quickly developing industries are a great benefit to a country; however there are also great negative consequences to this quick development. The increase in industrial development in China has led to the rapid use of natural resources as well as large amounts of pollution. Water pollution and air pollution in China are very big concerns for the people and the government. Two of the top ten most polluted cities in the entire world are located in China. Air pollution in China is also responsible for some 750,000 deaths that come prematurely. With numbers like this, China has been at work to develop a plan to reduce the air pollution. Although this problem is not something that can be solved overnight, so it will require a long term plan for pollution reduction. China did upgrade their State Environmental Protection Administration to a much higher level showing their concern for fixing the pollution, with a focus on air pollution. For many years leading up to the 2008 Olympics the city of Beijing was working double hard to reduce pollution in the city. This was in an effort to be at their best for hosting the Olympics. The Chinese government is extremely concerned with reducing the pollution throughout China, and has been since the early 21st Century.

Respiratory disease and even heart disease, caused by air pollution in China, is a leading cause of death there. Of a study of 338 cities for the quality of air, two thirds of them were polluted either moderately or severely. This is a huge number of cities negatively affected by air pollution in China. Due to the large number of cities with severe air pollution China has very strict environmental laws; however it is very difficult to enforce them. When the government declares a no automobile day for as many as 100 cities, on main roads, the declaration is ignored by most people. Cities in China suffer from many terrible forms of air pollution including smog. Smog is a type of pollution where cool air near the earth is trapped under warmer air and prevents the pollution from being dispersed like normal. This effect is called temperature inversion. When you get temperature inversion in the warm summer months then the result is severe smog. China is still trying to help prevent and lessen air pollution throughout the country. The more people who get educated on how to help with air pollution, the better the chances of reducing air pollution in China.

Introduction

Fun, experience and self-learning have been an important part of education and related techniques all throughout. Learning through practical experience and playful activities has appealed to all age groups, especially small children and youngsters.

Hence, when it comes to crucial concepts like environmental training and learning, no other method works better than the play method which actually teaches the concepts of environmental education to the young learners easily and within short span of time.

The Games Spectrum

There are a vast variety of environmental education games available to the cluster of teachers, educators and learners involved in the education in this field. These games use innovative and attractive concepts, based on strong logic but presented in a fun manner in order to convey the required learning to the students.

To begin with, some of the most interesting environmental education games revolve around the learning with regard to animal life and typical species of wildlife. One of such games, known as Cascoly Critters, is quite a unique guessing game which requires the participants to match animals with their living areas, to spot out an odd animal in a particular group or even name the animals based on their pictures.

Other environmental education games such as the SimPark lets small children plan and design a nature park. The kids get to choose the plants and animals to populate the place and are then further required to provide basic amenities for the visitors. The background is punctuated with animal sounds and the plants leaf and flowers begin to blossom as the season changes. Interestingly, other games environmental education games such as ‘Adopt a Rainforest Animal (virtual)’, which are even available online enable the kids to have animals in forms of animated gifs which can be stored and played on the web pages.

Other programs offer slideshow pictures and games based on various objects in nature such plants, trees, animals and the like. In fact, such is the demand and positive impact of the methods of using environmental education games that there are dedicated industries that concentrate on preparation of such games. Interestingly, such environmental education games also cover the entire gamut of sea life and have scores of games on offer, exclusively based on fish and other aquatic organisms and the basic facts of their lives.

The users wishing to use such environmental education games can actually describe a game format required for the purpose along with other specifications which they might like to see in any of the environmental education games that they might want to use.

In June of 2008 it was reported that the top 5 cities with the best air quality in the world were as follows: number one is Zurich in Switzerland then the second through fifth were the four following cities: Vienna in Austria and Geneva in Switzerland both registered 107.9 points to come in at second and third. The fourth of the top five cities with the best air quality is Vancouver Canada. Finally, the fifth of the five cities with the best air quality is Auckland, New Zeeland. The rating system that these five cities were ranked by was Mercer Consulting. After the fifth city of Auckland, there were three consecutive German cities with the best air quality. The three German cities are Dusseldorf, Munich and Frankfurt. Baghdad is the lowest rated city on the list of cities with best air quality.

In the UK, while London ranked at 38 both Birmingham and Glasgow were together at 56. In the United States of America Honolulu ranked at 28.

Mercer Consulting based the scale on a point-by-point scoring index. This point by point scoring had Zurich with 108.0 points while Baghdad only scored 13.5 points. The cities were all based on a comparison with New York with an index score of 100 points. This quality of living scale ranks 215 cities around the world. The scale is used by various companies to place employees in cities for international assignments.

On the North American continent, the list was dominated by Canadian cities including Montréal ranked at 22 up to Vancouver ranked at 4. After Honolulu, ranked 28 in the United States of America the U.S. cities fall down to New York ranked at 49.

In Central and Southern Latin America San Juan, Puerto Rico is the highest ranked at 72 only to fall down as far as Port au Prince in Haiti ranked 202.

European cities pretty much dominated the scale with Zurich in Switzerland ranked number 1 overall ending at Minsk in Belarus at 183. Switzerland and Germany are both represented in the top ten overall rankings with three cities from each country. Switzerland had Zurich ranked number 1 and Geneva ranked along with Vienna in Austria both scoring 107.9 points. You can say that Switzerland has the top two ranked cities with best air quality.

In the middle east and Africa Cape Town ranked at 80 and the cities in the Middle East and Africa with best air quality dropped all the way to the bottom with Baghdad, which was ranked as the worse at 215.

The Asia Pacific region of the world started with Auckland in New Zeeland that was ranked at five and went as far down as Jakarta which was ranked 146.

You open your door in the morning, step outside, look up, close your eyes, and take a deep breath of fresh air. Or do you? Air pollution plagues our everyday life. We may think our air is fine because we cannot see a difference. Okay, maybe we know that while in the city there is not the freshest air available, but certainly in our own homes we are fine. Well, that does not seem to be the case either, as the causes of air pollution are more than what you might expect.

Pollution Possibilities And Causes of Air Pollution

There are many factors that contribute to the causes of air pollution and some may argue that only large corporations are to blame, but the fact is that we are all responsible for the problem and we should all be responsible for the solution. A few air pollutant culprits include:

• Smoke Stacks – power plants, waste incinerators, and manufacturing
• Mobility – All motor vehicles, aircraft, marine vessels. Commercial use and domestic use are equally responsible
• Fumes – Simple products like paint, hairspray, aerosol sprays, and other solvents contribute too
• Burning – Fireplaces, stoves, furnaces, and other burning devices
• Chemicals – Particles, like carbon monoxide released due to controlled burns or accidental fires
• Waste – Landfills or illegal dumping release methane gases
• Military – Nuclear weapons, germ warfare, rocketry, and other toxic gases are emitted into the air through war or general maneuvers
• Digestion – Levels of methane gas are released through the digestion of certain animals, like cattle
• Mother Earth – Volcanoes produce sulfur, chlorine, and ash. Radon is created by the radioactive decay within the crust of Earth
• Dust – General dust or large amounts are circulated in large land areas that have little or no vegetation

Escape To The Indoors

Outside does not seem safe with all those particles flying around, but if you go inside and close all the doors and windows then you are in your own controlled environment that is free of air pollution, right? This is a misnomer because there are types of air pollutants that are specific to indoor surroundings. Several examples may include:

• Kitchen – A kitchen appliance that we rely on almost everyday could be responsible for many health issues. The kitchen stove can release deadly toxins that are inhaled without knowledge. Older stoves that require fuels to burn, are not energy efficient and create several gases.
• Carpet – The fibers of carpet have been treated with chemicals that prevent staining, discoloration, and fraying; but those same chemicals are not safe to breath in.
• Heating & Cooling – An inefficient system causes fuel waste and may inject dangerous dust particles into the house.
• Cleaning – Toxic products that contain dangerous chemicals may seem like they get the house clean but at what cost? Inhaling those fumes is not good for the body. A vacuum cleaner without a proper filtration system is also to blame for unhealthy dust particles.

Air pollution presents itself in many forms; the causes of air pollution are diverse. Each of these has levels of toxicity that may be worse then others, however they are all dangerous. It is safe to consider that each pollutant cause will carry a variety of pollutant effects. It is time to think creatively and stop this pollution plague that is robbing us of fresh air.

The United States’ version of EPA pollution control in India is the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), developed in 1974 under the Water Act under the Control and Prevention of Pollution—later on additionally entrusted with the 1981 Air Act under the Control and Prevention of Pollution’s powers and functions. The purpose of the Central Pollution Control Board is to serve as a field formation, also providing technical service to the Ministry of Environment and Forests under two provisions:

• The Central Pollution Control Board will promote cleanliness of steams and wells through prevention, control and abatement of water pollution in different State areas
• The Central Pollution Control Board will improve air quality and prevent, control and abate air pollution in India

The Central Pollution Control Board supplies New Delhi with an automatic monitoring station at ITO Intersection, with Air Quality updated every two weeks and with regular monitoring of: Sulphur Dioxide (SO2); Resirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM); Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2); Carbon Monoxide (CO); Ozone (O3); and Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM). On the Central Pollution Control Board website is a real time pollution monitor in Delhi (check it out at: http://www.cpcb.nic.in/Introduction.php) which programs four different locations of pollutants in different area, available in one hour, eight hour and 24 hour increments for studies saying which pollutant is bad and its measurements.

The Central Pollution Control Board provides two functions to its country—under the National Level and as State Boards for the Union Territories—responsible for implementing legislations relating to the prevention and control of environmental air and water pollution. Whenever an industry is began in India, it first is cleared from an environmental angle—reviewing its pollution potential and environmental impact through the State Pollution Control Boards and the State Environmental Committees or Site Clearance Committees.

Yet the new industry, even though it is cleared of pollution through standards set up by the Central Pollution Control Board, will still cause a certain amount of allowable tolerable levels of discharge/emission pollutants. These levels are based on two things: technological and economic feasibility, as the appropriate or inappropriate site may be using pollution control equipment not operating at its peak efficiency, realistically implying a higher risk of pollution than usual. Additionally, data for air quality cannot be read accurately when it is raining based on the last readings in February 13-14 of 2007. The Central Pollution Control Board utilizes special monitoring data, such as the Ambient Air and Noise Pollution Levels and Noise Monitoring Data.

Additional monitoring of by the Central Pollution Control Board is a nation-wide program of ambient air quality monitoring, referred to as the “National Air Quality Monitoring Program (NAMP). This network involves 342 stations that operate over 127 cities and towns, 26 states, and 4 Union Territories of India with an agenda of determining the status and trends of ambient air quality, preventing violation of ambient air quality standards. The monitoring system of water pollution under the Central Pollution Control Board involves collaboration with the SPCBs/PCCs, which established a large network of 1019 water quality monitoring stations in 27 states and 6 Union Territories. Done on a monthly or quarterly basis, it covers three creeks, 200 rivers, 13 canals, five tanks, 60 lakes, 17 drains, three ponds, and 321 groundwater stations.

Animal species go extinct every day. There are thousands of bird species–parakeets and seabirds–that vanish before scientists or birdwatchers ever get a chance to study them, beyond a flap of wings or a blur of colorful feathers passing through a window. Insect populations, with their high birth rate and ever-changing environmental, spawn whole subfamilies and variant species before vanishing forever. And some of the world’s most beautiful and once-abundant mammals find their numbers dwindling into the hundreds, then the dozens, then to none at all.

There are any number of causes and any number of “villains” to blame. Environmental pollution and degradation is a common culprit. Overhunting is another. Simple Darwinism is yet another. Whatever the cause, however, the result is the same. A population of animals vanishes forever with no possibility of being encountered again.

That is–in most cases.

The story of the Tasmanian Tiger is all too typical in the world of endangered species studies and other issues related to environmental pollution and degradation. Yet the Tasmanian Tiger’s story is filled with unconventional flourishes. For example, the Tasmanian Tiger isn’t a true tiger at all, but a type of hybrid wolf/marsupial, named for the striped pattern on its hindquarters. At one time there were thousands of Tasmanian Tigers wandering the outback of Australia, competing with other animals for food, water, and breeding opportunities. Some 2,000 years ago, the Tasmanian Tiger lost this competition, and the only remaining members of the species were confined to Tasmania proper.

In the 1930s, the Tasmanian Tiger lost the competition for food and livelihood yet again–this time to the most dangerous opponent of all. Overhunting and the environmental pollution and degradation that comes hand in hand with human inhabitants moving into a formerly wild region led to the extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger for good. The last confirmed member of the species died in captivity in 1936. This was a double blow to zoology, since the Tasmanian Tiger wasn’t simply a species unto itself, but also the last surviving member of the mysterious genus Thylacinus, the marsupial wolves. The opportunity to study the convergent evolution of the genus was forever lost with the Tiger, a victim of environmental pollution and degradation.

But, as we said, the story of the Tasmanian Tiger is not without its unique flourishes–such as the flash of stripes seen moving through the field of vision of a park ranger in 1995, or the herd of six or seven Thylacines spotted raiding a villager’s livestock in 1997.

Could the verdict on this victim of environmental pollution and degradation have been premature? The Australian government has since 1995 been running an investigation into the wilds of Tasmania, seeking answers. The story of environmental pollution and degradation has been, throughout human history, a tragic one–the mysterious “resurrection” of the Tasmanian Tiger could be–in at least one story–a happy ending.

While it shouldn’t be, it’s often hard for people to wrap their minds around the concept of biodiversity. Partly this is because the concept of biodiversity is a complex one, and partly it’s because so many agencies have vested interests in people seeing anything that conserves resources as a threat to their lifestyles. The first steps toward defining the concept of biodiversity were undertaken by E.O. Wilson in the mid-1980s. Since then, the concept has become so important that there are a number of world, national, and local initiatives targeted at reducing biodiversity loss by 2010.

The concept of biodiversity breaks down into three major factors, all of which are interwoven:

First is the concept of genetic diversity. This refers to the variation of genes within a single species and can be further broken down into two components: genetic variations within distinct populations of the same species, and genetic variations within a population.

Next is the concept of species diversity. This take us up one rung as we consider the varieties of species within a region. There are two main measures to assess this: the first is species “richness”, or the number of species, both plant and animal, that inhabit an area; the second is the more precise “taxonomic diversity,” which takes into account the relationships between species in addition to their numbers.

The third factor, and the overarching one, is ecosystem diversity. Since the boundaries between various biological communities are highly fluid, this is the most difficult factor to measure accurately, yet it may very well be the most important, since this is where changes that affect all life occur. Climate change, often caused by things like global warming, are among the greatest threats to ecosystem diversity.

Biological diversity includes the variety of ecosystems, and their patterns. It also includes their linkages across regional landscapes. There is a hierarchy of the parts and processes of biological diversity that is, admittedly, artificial. This hierarchy also has a distinct human context (i.e., things are seen in the context of how useful they are to humans). Still, it provides a focus for the concept of biodiversity, which is so infinitely varied that any lens taken to it must be narrowly focused compared to the full spectrum of both the topic and human needs.

Understanding the concept of biodiversity should be a high priority for everyone, since we cannot preserve it if we don’t understand it, and not preserving it will ultimately affect the lives of all of us. One of the best ways of understanding the very broad concept of biodiversity is reading the various definitions used by scientists, philosophers, environmentalists, and others.

Air pollution causes range widely. There are many ways you directly and indirectly cause air pollution. While you may be unwilling to cut out some of these things from your daily life, you will find that there are small and simple things you can do that have a great effect on the environment as a whole. Air pollution causes are not just from factories or large manufacturing facilities. People cause many of the problems themselves, yet most of these causes can be prevented or minimized.

Take a look at some of the air pollution causes you may be contributing to. One of the largest is your vehicle. Cars, buses, trucks and even your lawn mower are all large problems for the environment and air quality. The facts are simple. Those machines that burn fossil fuels including natural gas, oil and coal are doing the most damage to the environment. You may be unwilling to stop driving your vehicle, of course. Instead, look for ways to minimize the amount of fumes produced by your vehicle, such as choosing a vehicle that is a hybrid or one that produces small amounts of fume. You may want to focus on driving less, too, or carpooling with others so you are not putting as many toxins into the air.

Air pollution causes on a grand scale are very important, though. There is no doubt that smog and acid rain are major contributors to air pollution. How can an average person make a change here? One way is to work through legislative means in your city and state to get tighter controls on air quality. People can only make companies change when they take action and that is something that everyone can do.

What other ways can you help improve on the many air pollution causes? Make smart buying decisions. The previous mentioned causes of air pollution are direct causes of air pollution. Yet, indirectly you can make a difference as well. For example, make smart buying decisions such as buying from local farmers markets instead of going out of your way to buy from grocery chains that bring produce in. The reason for this is simple: you lessen the number of vehicles on the road causing air pollution.

Know what the air pollution causes in your area are. Work with local governments to make big decisions. With so many methods available to you to make small changes that will have a large impact, it is no doubt something every person should be doing. Take time to learn about the causes and preventative measures that people can take to improve air quality.

There is a place in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that is about as far from human habitation that one can possibly be while still on the planet. Here, the currents of the North Pacific turn inward and form one of five great oceanic gyre currents. Thousands of miles from the nearest civilization, this area that has for millions of years been home to sea turtles and albatross is now home to the largest floating garbage dump the planet has ever seen.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, as it is often called is an ever growing mat of swirling plastic. This includes just about every plastic item that has ever been manufactured (and that’s a lot), as well as abandoned nets. In the sunlight and seawater these plastics tend to degrade into even smaller particles that form an even denser mat.

This is tremendously dangerous to wildlife, that is increasingly found dead, having starved to death with a belly full of the stuff, unable to process food.
- 1 -

Air pollution control systems can remove contaminants by two methods–they can kill them entirely or remove them before they are released into the air. Industry and transportation devices follow those procedures because they are the largest divisions which release contaminants into the air, considered the number one causes of major air pollution. Common air pollution is considered the release of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and nitrogen oxides into the air, with smog in the larger industrial cities and large populations causing high nitrogen oxide levels, with hydrocarbons developing as a reaction to sunlight in these areas.

Good effective air pollution control systems are designed with one purpose in mind, and that is to prevent harm or any form of discomfort to people or anything living, also preventing damage to the environment. When the Clean Air Act was enacted, it strengthened regulations of air pollution with the European Union following its initiatives. The Act provided mechanisms for reporting and enforcement, setting numerical limits on the air pollutions concentrations of “a basic group of pollutants affecting the air.” Over the years, standards for the pollutants have been lowered by incorporating new Ozone standards and a new PM2.5

Presently, we are seeing a high reduction in air pollution due to tighter standards and advanced air pollution control systems:

• Carbon monoxide emissions fell from 197 million tons to 89 million tons
• Nitrogen oxide emissions fell from 27 million tons to 19 million tons
• Sulfur dioxide emissions fell from 31 million tons to 15 million tons
• Particulate emissions fell by 80%
• Lead emissions fell by more than 98%

There are several air pollution control systems that work as major pollution control devises. One is the particulate control, which is also referred to as the particulate matter or fine particles. Others involve methods such as scrubbers, NOx control, VOC abatement, Acid Gas/SO2 control, mercury control, and dioxin/furan control. Additionally there are two areas of miscellaneous associated equipment which do not fit into the above method criteria—source capturing systems and continuous emissions monitoring systems—all excellent methods for air pollution control systems.
The pollutants involved in air pollution control systems involve many different types, so the system used should be the appropriate one to do the highest quality of work while also meeting the standards required for the cleaning the air. And with over 90% of the time involved indoors—whether at work or in the home—the lack of any type of ventilation forces more air pollution health situations than needed.
For one example we can look at radon, a gas which is a carcinogen, rising from the earth in specific locations and trapped inside certain houses. It can come from certain building materials in ways we can never imagine. There are two ways to test for radon within the home—long term and short term—with two main sources for it within the home: the soil and water supply with it coming through the soil a much larger risk. That is because risks from water are random events, used for showering or household purposes only, with the water treatable through a point-of-entry treatment or point-of-use treatment. For more information on radon, call the EPA hotline at (800) 426-4791.