P
Pib
Guest
I have witnessed the discussion related to a possible Haitian intent to unify the island of Hispaniola due to, among other things, the almost inexistent resources in the west side of the island, a result of the indiscriminate exploitation of their natural resources. Someone just posted something on levels of pollution in Santo Domingo, with contradictory opinions in that respect. I would like to contribute my 2 cents of wisdom to a discussion that will soon be a matter of life and death in DR and the rest of the world: environment.
Santo Domingo is not among the most polluted cities of the world, it is not among the top 10, nor does it make it to the top 100. Only megacities (those with 10 million plus inhabitants) made it to the top 10. The star of the crown is certainly China with 7 of the 10 most polluted cities in the world. India has the dubious honor of having the other 3. In New Delhi for example 1 person each hour, 10,000 a year, die because of diseases caused directly by air pollutants according to environmentalist Sunita Norayan.
In Latin America, Mexico City is the recipient of the ?Latin America?s Most Polluted City Award?, nothing that we haven?t heard before. Mexico with its huge population has the disadvantage of its altitude and location that makes it a pool of polluted air. Lima, Peru also has a place in this infamous list.
Not only underdeveloped countries have air pollution problems, someone in another post mentioned London. London compares fairly favorably to the situation of other of the above-mentioned cities; but it exceeds the guidelines for nitrogen, dioxide, ozone and ?particular matter?. Particular matter of all pollutants is the most dangerous. It consists of not gases but solid or liquid substances in small enough size as to be able to ?float? in the air. If one should look for clean countries as a whole, Scandinavia should be the place to look for. Scandinavians have worked hard to have their cities among the cleanest-less polluted cities of the world.
Santo Domingo, like all metropolis (cities over a million inhabitants) have its own problems. The city has a high concentration of dioxide due to the lack of guidelines in vehicle emissions. Another type of pollution present is the ever-dangerous particular matter. Santo Domingo has great advantages that make it still ?livable? to its inhabitants: relative inexistence of high buildings and sea-front locations. The air renews itself each day which keeps Santo Domingo relatively clean (remember we are talking air pollution). As for solid waste, Santo Domingo is not nearly the worse place to live in, but that does not mean that we should sit back, kick off our shoes and sleep through this, this is a serious problem anyhow.
Now, about that recycling plant donated by the Europeans, I have to remind you that Dominicans don?t have a recycling tradition. Furthermore, recycling is not the answer to all environmental problems. The New York Times raised a stir when it published an article titled ?Recycling is Garbage? in 1996. The newspaper exposed the failure of the system in most cities throughout USA. The moral of the story is that recycling alone is not the answer. There is far more to do in this field, education for example. Kids have proved to be more open-minded and ready to accept Environmentalism. Schools should be the place to start all this.
My last words: please remember your 3 R?s: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, and teach that to your kids.
Have a nice, clean day.
Santo Domingo is not among the most polluted cities of the world, it is not among the top 10, nor does it make it to the top 100. Only megacities (those with 10 million plus inhabitants) made it to the top 10. The star of the crown is certainly China with 7 of the 10 most polluted cities in the world. India has the dubious honor of having the other 3. In New Delhi for example 1 person each hour, 10,000 a year, die because of diseases caused directly by air pollutants according to environmentalist Sunita Norayan.
In Latin America, Mexico City is the recipient of the ?Latin America?s Most Polluted City Award?, nothing that we haven?t heard before. Mexico with its huge population has the disadvantage of its altitude and location that makes it a pool of polluted air. Lima, Peru also has a place in this infamous list.
Not only underdeveloped countries have air pollution problems, someone in another post mentioned London. London compares fairly favorably to the situation of other of the above-mentioned cities; but it exceeds the guidelines for nitrogen, dioxide, ozone and ?particular matter?. Particular matter of all pollutants is the most dangerous. It consists of not gases but solid or liquid substances in small enough size as to be able to ?float? in the air. If one should look for clean countries as a whole, Scandinavia should be the place to look for. Scandinavians have worked hard to have their cities among the cleanest-less polluted cities of the world.
Santo Domingo, like all metropolis (cities over a million inhabitants) have its own problems. The city has a high concentration of dioxide due to the lack of guidelines in vehicle emissions. Another type of pollution present is the ever-dangerous particular matter. Santo Domingo has great advantages that make it still ?livable? to its inhabitants: relative inexistence of high buildings and sea-front locations. The air renews itself each day which keeps Santo Domingo relatively clean (remember we are talking air pollution). As for solid waste, Santo Domingo is not nearly the worse place to live in, but that does not mean that we should sit back, kick off our shoes and sleep through this, this is a serious problem anyhow.
Now, about that recycling plant donated by the Europeans, I have to remind you that Dominicans don?t have a recycling tradition. Furthermore, recycling is not the answer to all environmental problems. The New York Times raised a stir when it published an article titled ?Recycling is Garbage? in 1996. The newspaper exposed the failure of the system in most cities throughout USA. The moral of the story is that recycling alone is not the answer. There is far more to do in this field, education for example. Kids have proved to be more open-minded and ready to accept Environmentalism. Schools should be the place to start all this.
My last words: please remember your 3 R?s: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, and teach that to your kids.
Have a nice, clean day.