Location
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| http://www.chinesetraveler.com/ 1999-2001 |
Pictures of dense smog have
made numerous cities around the world infamous for uncontrolled car exhausts.
Smog, compromised by pollutants, clearly has a global effect but Los Angeles is
a microcosm for the world’s experience with it. Los Angeles, inhabited by over
3.7 million people, is a 503 square mile city in the Southwestern United
States. Air pollution caused by car congestion has marred the city with effects
on the environment, ecosystems, and health. Geographically, the city is apart
of the larger Los Angeles Basin (50X25 miles lon), a geological feature responsible for
perpetuating pollution, which will be discussed later. In addition, rising
temperatures, caused in part by car emissions, could also affect the
Mediterranean biome of Los Angeles, known for its tolerable warm temperatures
for the majority of the year.
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| http://static01.mediaite.com/med/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/traffic-jam.jpg |
Specifics of the Problem
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| http://la.streetsblog.org |
The origins of the issue date back to Etienne Lenoir’s
invention of the internal combustion engine in 1859. This was a product of the
industrial revolution, which also caused hazardous pollution of its own. The
internal combustion engine is an integral mechanism for automobiles, so its
invention certainly spawned the current issues of pollution. Development of
infrastructure provided increased attraction of car usage through improved
connectivity and better and cheaper cars, meaning capacity of infrastructure is
further increased to accommodate increased demand, resulting in a vicious cycle
- positive feedback. Pertaining to Los Angeles, this spike in demand for cars
occurred after the city experienced large migrations in World War 2. At that
time, Los Angeles was in an economic boom by manufacturing war supplies, and
when the war ended, the infrastructure, wealth, and people were present to
necessitate cars for their commutes.
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| NOAA |
As of 2010, the Greater Los Angeles area had 0.54 vehicles
per person, second only to San Francisco and ahead of New York. Similarly, Los
Angeles comes in second to San Francisco in vehicles per square mile with
2,161. The ratcheting up of vehicles in Los Angeles increased volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), which cause ozone to reach the ground. Additionally, they can cause cancer and other health problems over time. Although these are just
some of the pollutants, the fact that VOCs have decreased by 98% in fifty years
despite gas consumption tripling is an incredible feat. If milestones like this
can be reached, then it is evident that the air is getting cleaner and the
issue is improving.
Air pollution that is caused by cars is dangerous because
exhausts release a plethora of health endangering pollutants such as VOCs,
carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides. Because Los Angeles sits on a basin, atmospheric inversion takes place and traps these gasses close to the ground. When sunlight makes contact
with these chemicals, reactions take place that can cause photochemical smog to
form. The most troubling part, however, is that ozone is a main component and
it is most dangerous in ground levels. The consequences can be dire, for ozone
is dangerous for humans’ respiratory system and make it difficult to breathe.
Another instance is the effects of carbon monoxide. This compound can restrict
oxygen delivery to vital organs when it enters the blood stream. Of course,
carbon dioxide is the most known product of car exhaust and it can cause Los
Angeles to become hotter and damage its famous Mediterranean climate.
Larger Consequences of the Problem
Poor air quality as a result of car exhaust is very
prevalent around the world, namely in metropolitan areas. Beijing, Shanghai,
and Moscow are notable examples of similar pollution to Los Angeles. Cities all
over the world struggle with this issue, so the problem is on a global scale;
hence, there are multiple global consequences. The same health effects that Los
Angeles has experienced also apply to the rest of the world, if not even more
so because many cities are much more polluted than Los Angeles. Greenhouse
gasses emitted by cars are extremely dangerous because of it will lead to
higher sea levels, meaning that heavy polluting cities will not be held
accountable when the coastline swallows up areas that did not significantly
pollute. Globally, other cities must emulate Los Angeles and reduce pollution
and avoid such adverse effects.
- 1. Sunlight - the chemical process under which primary pollutants are converted into photochemical smog requires radiation (which one?) from sunlight. 2. High population. LA is the second most populated city in the US (following NYC). this results in huge demand for transport,of which the infrastructure cannot support a growing (figure), resulting in further increase on the already huge pollution from travel. (figure on how much energy 1 person in LA uses every day). As a result in combination with the sunlight, all components required to form photochemical smog are present with nitrogen oxides from vehicle emissions. 3 . A prevailing Southwesterly wind blows off the pacific, bringing cool ocean air to LA at ground level. The cooler denser air therefore remains at ground level, therefore pollutants are not extracted through local convection currents as much. 4. On top of this, the mountains surrounding LA act as a trap to the prevailing wind, blocking air flow away from the city, particularly as the cool air will struggle to rise above mountains in surrounding of warmer denser air. As a result the polluted air and highly concentrated tropospheric ozone linger around the city at ground level for abnormal lengths of time. all in all this makes LA act as a pollution hotspot, giving all the more reason to act upon the situation sooner
Solutions
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| http://www.topcarpicture.com |
One potential solution is
reducing vehicle congestion. Congestion charges such as in London, or
Singapore’s ERP system, which automatically charge people entering the city
center without stopping at different rates at times of the day, in an
encouragement to reduce traffic in rush hours and to spread it more evenly. Another alternative is to improve alternative options
like public transport, bike lanes, thus reducing dependence on road travel by
car. Improvements in fuel efficiency of car via technology are already well
underway. Hydrogen powered cars, hybrids, and fully electric cars have been
rolled out, but hydrogen seems less likely than the others because it is highly
flammable. Hybrids, on the other hand, have already been welcomed by consumers
with open wallets for their high mileage per gallon.
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| South Coast Air Quality Management District |
The EPA (Environmental
Protection Agency) is a federal agency that is entrusted with a wide range of
environmental issues, but took a significant step in 1975. In that year, catalytic converters were widely
adopted to meet the EPA’s emissions standards. These converters transform
carbon monoxide into the less harmful carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides into
nitrogen and oxygen, and hydrocarbon into water and carbon dioxide. The EPA’s
regulations often force car manufacturers to be more innovative and produce
cars that are friendlier to the air. The fall in air pollutants in Los Angeles
can be attributed to these policies that made fuel-efficiency better and cars
cleaner. CARB (California Air Resources Board) was instituted by
Governor Reagan to monitor and improve the air in the state. They oftentimes
ensure that regulations are being followed. For instance, catalytic converters
are approved by CARB to keep the state’s air as clean as possible. Although the
EPA has had success with its combination of policies, catalytic converters,
sometimes made from platinum, are very expensive and are susceptible to theft.
Also, the converters still result in more carbon dioxide while reducing other
harmful gasses. Overall, there has been success in significantly reducing air
pollution but Los Angeles still remains above the federal ozone standard of
0.075ppm at just over 0.10ppm.
Conclusion
Although the technology is available to reduce air
pollution and adverse health effects, it would take a miraculous massive
coordinated effort to see the problem completely eradicated. The most promising
outlook is to have cleaner vehicles on the road, for Los Angeles is not going
to change its driving anytime soon. The issue can be resolved but it will most
likely take a very long and unpredictable time. A lesson to take away, then, is
that patience is needed to overcome many environmental issues because there is
usually extensive damage done when humankind was unaware of what it was doing
to the planet.
References
, , , , , , Impact of Regional Transport on the Anthropogenic and Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosols in the Los Angeles Basin, Atmospheric Environment, 2014
http://www.treehugger.com/cars/smog--los-angeles-doesnt-quite-sting-it-used.html
http://quickfacts.census.gov/
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/02/opinion/pettit-california-pollution/
http://www.environmentnow.org/sustainability.html
