Air Pollution Part9 - Tan En Li (Group Leader)

As predicted by scientists, this would be Mother Earth in 2012. Air pollution, is one of the main causes. However, it's never too late to make a change. These are the precautions that the Government is taking:

Enforced air quality standards, like the Clean Air Act in the United States, have reduced the presence of some pollutants. While major stationary sources are often identified with air pollution, the greatest source of emissions are actually mobile sources, principally the automobile. There are many available air pollution control technologies and urban planning strategies available to reduce air pollution; however, worldwide costs of addressing the issue are high. The most immediate method of improving air quality would be the use of bio ethanol fuel, bio diesel, solar energy, and hybrid vehicle technologies.

The World Health Organization estimates that 4.6 million people die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution. Many of these moralities are attributable to indoor air pollution. Worldwide more deaths per year are linked to air pollution than to automobile accidents. Research published in 2005 suggests that 310,000 Europeans die from air pollution annually. Direct causes of air pollution related deaths include aggravated asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, lung and heart diseases, and respiratory allergies.

The Government has introduced a number of pieces of legislation to improve air quality over the past decade, for example, the prohibition of leaded petrol has eliminated lead emissions from vehicle fuels. Changes have been made to reduce the emissions of the seven key pollutants. Energy conservation schemes aim to reduce emissions from power stations by reducing the amount of electricity used. Every local authority is being required to work towards reducing air pollution within their district by introducing appropriate measures.