Take concrete steps to stop pollution
Control emission of dust at source itself
Air pollution is a generic term comprising emissions of particulate matter, greenhouse gases, oxides of sulphur and nitrogen. The major concern worldwide is regarding the emission of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, because it causes global warming which leads to climate change. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is about 415 parts per million (ppm) which has already caused a rise in the average global temperature by about 0.6º Celsius and resulted in change in rainfall pattern, floods, heavy snowfall.
The Paris Agreement signed by 197 countries and ratified by 187 aims to limit the global temperature rise this century to well below 2ºC to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change like melting of glaciers and inundation of land, extinction of some species, extreme weather events, food and water crisis, etc.
It is therefore necessary for all the countries, particularly the United States of America and China, the biggest polluters, to strictly adhere to the Paris Agreement by reducing their carbon footprint i.e. per capita emission of carbon dioxide. Control measures such as switching over to clean fuels, from coal to natural gas, and adopting cleaner technologies and carbon sequestration have to be intensified by all the countries. Vehicles produce carbon dioxide. There is no commercial technology to capture carbon dioxide from them which is required urgently.
The emission of particulate matter, such as dust, which causes air pollution which is locally reflected as haze is the next major concern because it causes respiratory problems. The sources for the generation of dust are industries, coal-based power plants, vehicles run on diesel, construction sites, roads, loose soil, garbage etc. The dust needs to be controlled at the source of generation by adopting efficient electrostatic precipitators in industries and power plants, covering the buildings under construction, cleaning the roads of dust, growing grass and trees on open lands and safe disposal of garbage.
Public support and cooperation is equally important besides governmental actions to control global warming and climate change and dust pollution to save environment to save all forms of life on Earth.
Dr Oruganty Prasada Rao, retired scientist, CSIR and ex-professor,
TERI, 75
C-505, Jalvayu Towers,
Hyderabad-500080