Pollution in cities has become one of the most serious environmental problems for the planet. The air in cities is full of carbon dioxide or C02 and other gases that are harmful to health and contribute to the greenhouse effect. In cities, large amounts of waste are also generated that, if not treated correctly, can contaminate water, soil and air.
If you are concerned about this problem as much as we do, continue reading in Ecologist Verde, because we are going to give you a series of tips on how to reduce pollution in cities.
Using public transport to reduce pollution in cities
Using public transport like the train, the subway or the buses the number of vehicles is reduced that circulate on the roads and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. Another alternative can be car sharing, as there are more people in one vehicle, there will be fewer vehicles on the road.
The various greenhouse gases, such as nitrogen oxide (NO2) and respirable suspended particles (PM10), are responsible for the so-called “berets” of cities. These "berets" resemble brown or gray clouds that can be seen over the cities. Everyone these gases are toxic for human health. In addition, they react with sunlight to form other even more dangerous compounds.
Another advantage of public transport is that it is currently more efficient and uses electrical energy to function, cleaner energy than fossil fuels.
Traffic restriction
Related to the above, when the levels of polluting gases exceed those allowed by the regulations the municipalities have to take measures to reduce air pollution levels. Some of these measures are the limitation of the speed or the prohibition of the circulation in the center of the city. In this way, people are forced to share a car and use public transport. Cities like Madrid have adopted these measures to reduce air pollution.
On the other hand, from the town halls and other government agencies projects are being developed to install electric car charging points. There are already many buses with this technology and more and more electric cars are being seen in our cities, so it is necessary to install more recharging points and promote the use of these vehicles, perhaps through financial aid.
Recycling to stop pollution in a city
Recycling allows us reuse of certain materials, either to give them the same use or to find a new one. In this way, the pollution caused by the factories that produce them is also reduced. The landfills where the garbage that we throw away unsorted normally accumulates are a great source of contamination. On the one hand, the gases resulting from the decomposition of waste, such as methane, are highly polluting and contribute to the greenhouse effect. On the other hand, soils are polluted and these pollutants can reach groundwater and surface water.
In some cities such as Oslo, buses run on biogas produced by the decomposition of organic matter contained in the city's sewage. Other cities propose the use of organic waste, such as natural compost, to fertilize the land or the heat from its burning could be used as an energy supply to cities.
In addition, to contribute to reducing pollution in cities it is better to avoid buying those products that have complex recycling processes, such as plastics. Single-use plastics such as straws, bottles, cups and plastic cutlery or bags are very easy to make and use, but they are difficult to recycle, so it is best to buy them from more durable and / or recyclable materials, and so on. less waste will be generated in cities.
Finally, it is worth noting the existence of the so-called clean points where we can dispose of more toxic and dangerous waste for the environment such as oils, batteries, batteries, appliances, tires and more. Thus we avoid their appearance in the natural environment.
Here we explain how to recycle garbage at home so that it is easier for you to do your bit to reduce pollution in your city and around the planet.
Use renewable energy
Many citizens have had the initiative to use renewable energy in their houses. For example, we can use renewable energy such as solar by installing solar panels we can have electricity and hot water in our homes. Another option is that all the energy consumed in the house comes from electricity in this way, it would not be necessary to use fossil fuels, such as natural gas for cooking or heating. Here it is important to know where that electrical energy comes from because it is not the same that it comes from nuclear power plants than from renewable sources such as water, wind or the sun.
Energy use in buildings can be reduced by insulation, such as with double glazed windows, using energy efficient light bulbs and appliances or by setting the heating and air conditioning to mild temperatures. It is also important to turn off and unplug electronic devices when we are not at home, as well as turn off the heating. In this way we will save on our electricity bill and avoid polluting our environment (by spending less, less energy is produced).
Green areas in cities to end pollution
The Parkland They are very important in cities because they act like our lungs, exchanging gases. Plants fix the CO2 that is in the atmosphere and release oxygen, for this reason they contribute to the cleaning of the atmosphere and the air purification. Citizens can promote actions for municipalities to create these green spaces.
Here we show you more about The importance of green areas in cities.
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