Air pollution is one of the global environmental problems, which poses a threat primarily to human health. This difficult issue has not lost its relevance for many years already. Toxic substances in the atmosphere kill millions of people and affect global warming. The main air pollutants are industrial and transport emissions, harmful evaporation from landfills and agriculture. Small, almost invisible particles penetrate deep into our lungs and blood to cause chronic respiratory diseases, cancer, stroke, asthma and many other serious diseases. Unfortunately, for New York, the problem of polluted air remains very acute for several years in a row. The city authorities use various methods of combating this dangerous phenomenon. Read more on new-york.name.
The danger in the air: New York’s top environmental problem
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New York is on the list of large US cities with the highest levels of air pollution. About 60% of New Yorkers are at risk of getting cancer due to constant inhalation of dangerous particles, which is several times more than for other Americans.
In terms of ecology, Manhattan is a particularly dangerous borough in New York. The incidence of cancer among its residents is three times higher than the national average. Residents of the Bronx have a slightly lower risk of getting cancer and it exceeds the average rate by 2.5 times, and in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island it is 2 times higher.
Lucas Herbert, a member of the Bronx council, stated that the main cause of air pollution in the metropolis is the transport system. Buses, cars and garbage trucks produce a lot of toxic substances every day. Another significant air polluter in New York is thermal power plants. The last places on the list of the main pollutants of the atmosphere are taken by dry cleaners, workrooms, mass use of household chemicals by citizens and large companies.
According to Richie Cassel, a consulting lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, the situation can be improved and controlled if the New York City government makes every effort to do so. New technologies are introduced in the city to improve the state of the air every year and different common methods are also used.
How does New York’s air cleanup program work?
As a result of air monitoring in 2009, it was found that the level of air pollution by toxic substances is especially high in those boroughs where buildings are heated with low-quality petroleum products. This is approximately 1% of the total number of buildings in New York or ten thousand houses. An outdated heating system is twice as dangerous for the metropolis as all the cars in the city. New York does not have thermal power plants to heat most of the boroughs or buildings. That is why the most optimal and convenient option was chosen to solve this problem, namely a boiler installed in the basement of each building. The authorities also offer an alternative way for citizens to connect to steam mains or to switch to cleaner types of fuel.
As for transportation, in New York, more than half of the city’s buses run on alternative fuels, and the new subway trains are equipped with braking systems that convert heat into energy when the traffic stops.
New Yorkers are also joining in environmental protection. Volunteers plant trees and monitor how much rainwater they filter, how much electricity they save and whether they reduce nitrogen oxide levels.
Such a comprehensive approach significantly improves the state of the air in the metropolis but it is extremely important that both authorities and the city’s residents collaborate to protect the environment.
