Ensure the air we breathe is clean
Published: 03:10 PM,Oct 29,2024 | EDITED : 07:10 PM,Oct 29,2024
In a recent media essay on city life, a 12th grade student wrote, “I’m a city kid, but I don’t like my city any more. It’s no more inspiring. It’s dusty, foggy, dirty, and smelly. I am tired of the noise and bustling.”
The essay appeared in an Indian vernacular daily continued, “My city has lakes, mountains, trees, star-spangled night skies, stirring sunrises and glorious sunsets. But dear God, it’s difficult to live here now. I am losing my affection with the surroundings here.”
Though cities are magnets for migrants thanks to great-paying jobs, a diverse community of many types of people, multiple restaurants, and access to high-quality healthcare, the fact is that people are becoming more and more frustrated and disappointed with city life due to high levels of pollution.
It is indisputable that air pollution is continuing to escalate with several major cities around the world grappling with severe air quality issues. This is a growing concern.
The primary contributors to urban air pollution include industrial activities, vehicle emissions, construction dust and decomposition of organic waste.
Reports show that cities account for 70 per cent of global waste and consume almost 80 per cent of the world’s energy. Building construction consumes 40 per cent of the world’s energy and is responsible for around one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is one of the world’s biggest killers, accounting for one in ten deaths each year. About half of these deaths are due to outdoor pollution in towns and cities.
In contrast, the urban population is witnessing an ever-ending growth. It is expected that the future will be urban, with 70 per cent of the global population moving to cities by 2050.
“Our cities are growing rapidly in terms of inhabitants and the space they occupy. Every minute, we add 10,000 square metres of city space. Every five days, we build a new Paris,” points out a recent report by the World Economic Forum.
According to UN Habitat report on world cities, between 2.5 and 3 billion people will be added to the urban population worldwide, with the highest growth projected to be in less developed regions like East Asia, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Toxic air can cut life expectancy by more than five years. There is now a greater incidence of illness and death among the elderly and vulnerable, including young children.
So comes a call from the UN Habitat on the occasion of World Cities Day tomorrow (October 31) to the youth and local governments urging them to work hand-in-hand to address the climate crisis. The Day aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal that calls for “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.”
“As cities around the world continue to grow, they are increasingly home to a new wave of young leaders committed to addressing the pressing issues of climate change. Youth are at the forefront of local action and innovation, playing a catalytic role in shaping sustainable urban futures,' the global agency stresses.
The day dedicated to cities, which is commemorated just one week after the UN’s own day on October 24, stresses that urbanisation enables new forms of social inclusion such as access to services and new opportunities, as well as the commitment and mobilisation reflected in diversity.
International days or weeks marking different occasions will come and go. But we should not forget our commitment to shifting to a pollution-free world so that we can safeguard our health and well-being and ensure economic prosperity.
We should focus on solutions and innovation because the various forms of pollution, including climate change, nature and biodiversity, and pollution and waste, are outpacing development progress.
To ensure that the air we breathe today is cleaner than the time of our parents and grandparents, we all need to come forward disregarding our jurisdiction!
The essay appeared in an Indian vernacular daily continued, “My city has lakes, mountains, trees, star-spangled night skies, stirring sunrises and glorious sunsets. But dear God, it’s difficult to live here now. I am losing my affection with the surroundings here.”
Though cities are magnets for migrants thanks to great-paying jobs, a diverse community of many types of people, multiple restaurants, and access to high-quality healthcare, the fact is that people are becoming more and more frustrated and disappointed with city life due to high levels of pollution.
It is indisputable that air pollution is continuing to escalate with several major cities around the world grappling with severe air quality issues. This is a growing concern.
The primary contributors to urban air pollution include industrial activities, vehicle emissions, construction dust and decomposition of organic waste.
Reports show that cities account for 70 per cent of global waste and consume almost 80 per cent of the world’s energy. Building construction consumes 40 per cent of the world’s energy and is responsible for around one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is one of the world’s biggest killers, accounting for one in ten deaths each year. About half of these deaths are due to outdoor pollution in towns and cities.
In contrast, the urban population is witnessing an ever-ending growth. It is expected that the future will be urban, with 70 per cent of the global population moving to cities by 2050.
“Our cities are growing rapidly in terms of inhabitants and the space they occupy. Every minute, we add 10,000 square metres of city space. Every five days, we build a new Paris,” points out a recent report by the World Economic Forum.
According to UN Habitat report on world cities, between 2.5 and 3 billion people will be added to the urban population worldwide, with the highest growth projected to be in less developed regions like East Asia, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Toxic air can cut life expectancy by more than five years. There is now a greater incidence of illness and death among the elderly and vulnerable, including young children.
So comes a call from the UN Habitat on the occasion of World Cities Day tomorrow (October 31) to the youth and local governments urging them to work hand-in-hand to address the climate crisis. The Day aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal that calls for “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.”
“As cities around the world continue to grow, they are increasingly home to a new wave of young leaders committed to addressing the pressing issues of climate change. Youth are at the forefront of local action and innovation, playing a catalytic role in shaping sustainable urban futures,' the global agency stresses.
The day dedicated to cities, which is commemorated just one week after the UN’s own day on October 24, stresses that urbanisation enables new forms of social inclusion such as access to services and new opportunities, as well as the commitment and mobilisation reflected in diversity.
International days or weeks marking different occasions will come and go. But we should not forget our commitment to shifting to a pollution-free world so that we can safeguard our health and well-being and ensure economic prosperity.
We should focus on solutions and innovation because the various forms of pollution, including climate change, nature and biodiversity, and pollution and waste, are outpacing development progress.
To ensure that the air we breathe today is cleaner than the time of our parents and grandparents, we all need to come forward disregarding our jurisdiction!