Air Quality in Global Cities Benson Bush 1st Period Air Quality in Global Cities

Overview Population in cities growing High pollution levels in cities Health problems What EPA is doing What the EPA should also do

Top 5 Polluted Cities Population is growing very quickly Global Cities Population Then Population Now Kabul, Afghanistan Not Enough Information 2,447,044 (2010) Chongqing, China 2,518,721 (2000) 6,263,790 (2010) Accra, Ghana 2,905,726 (2000) 4,010,054 (2013) La Paz, Bolivia 789,585 (2001) Kathmandu, Nepal 671,846 (2001) 1,003,285 (2011) Population is growing very quickly These cities are the top 5 most polluted cities Pollution levels grow with population

Pollution Index In Cities Kabul, Afghanistan 110.34 Chongqing, China 109.77 Accra, Ghana 109.27 La Paz, Bolivia 106.41 Kathmandu, Nepal 101.38 In comparison, Utah’s Pollution Index is 53.28. Pollution levels don’t have a direct correlation to population size.

Health Problems Respiratory and/or cardiovascular diseases Inflammation Increasing the range of ticks and mosquitoes, which can spread disease such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus (Global Warming)

The Clean Air Act It is a way for the EPA to control the amount of Carbon Emissions in the US from power plants. It cuts the amount of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and makes the air a lot cleaner.

What the EPA should do: The EPA should also regulate how much greenhouse gas emissions are coming from the production of electricity. In the US, the production of electricity produces more greenhouse gases than the industry does, so we need to decrease the amount of emissions coming from that sector.

What the EPA Can Do (Cont.) Researching ways to saving energy and reducing carbon emissions should be one of America’s main priorities. We can put more of our taxpayers dollars towards research of making our air cleaner and reducing the amount of CO2 is released into the atmosphere.

US Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Call To Action We cant do much about the other cities around the globe, but we can do something here and now. We can reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions by turning off our lights and other devices when they aren’t in use. Carpooling also would help reduce CO2 emissions.

Bibliography Solomon, Paul A. “Air pollution and health: Bridging the Gap from the sources to health outcomes.” Environmental Health Perspectives 119.4 (2011): A156+. Science in Context. Web. 26 May 2015. “What EPA Is Doing” EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency. 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 May 2015.