When the 2008 Summer Olympics were set to open, air quality was all the buzz. Pictures of a hazy, smoggy Beijing were plastered across TV screens, the Internet, and newspapers across the globe. The first few sporting events, we all waited with bated breath to see if our athletes would collapse due to the inferior air quality. Now, with the Games coming to a close, athletes continue to break Olympic and world records with relative ease, and we wonder, what was all the air quality fuss really about?
But hold on, now. Let’s have a look at just some of the emittion-cutting measures that Beijing has taken to improve its air quality. Polluting industries have been closed, cleaner production methods initiated, half of Beijing’s 3.3 million cars removed, public transportation infrastructures built, man-made forests grown, battery-powered cars driven, solar panels installed, and among other environmentally-friendly measures, reports indicate a whopping $17 billion has been invested in cleaning up Beijing’s air.
Is all this work just for show? Perhaps. But one thing’s for sure, we’ve learned something important from the efforts made in Beijing: measures to improve air quality work!
In fact, the air quality in Beijing so far this month has been the best for any summer period over the last 10 years.
Who knows if Beijing will keep up its pledge to improve air quality once the international eye is no longer watching, but really, who are we to say? They’ve researched, indeed initiated, what we here in Canada and the United States are only still talking about.
We’ve had our chance to shake our finger at China, tssk-ing in all our glory, but I think as the Games come to a close, we should open up our own air quality discussion.
As a country, what measures are we going to take to improve our own air quality? As a government, what restrictions are we going to impose on our citizens and corporations?
As citizens, what steps can we take to protect ourselves, our families, until we stop tssk-ing, and start tasking?
Showing posts with label Quality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quality. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
CMA Report: Poor Air Quality Killing Canadians
An important announcement by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) announced yesterday that will cause the death of approximately 700,000 Canadians over the next two decades.
In 2008 Alone:
21,000 Canadians will die from the effects of air pollution
80% of those who die due to air pollution will be over the age of 65
25 Canadians under the age of 19 will die from the effects of short-term exposure to air pollution
Their report entitled,No Breathing Room: National Illness Costs of Air Pollution, points to ozone and particulate matter as the two major pollutants that will contribute to these deaths.
DEATHS. And not just deaths for the elderly, as if that weren’t newsworthy, but deaths for otherwise perfectly healthy 19-year-olds.
Combine this CMA announcement, with the air quality buzz that has been generated at this year’s Olympics, and the question that demands to be asked remains: why aren’t air purifiers a standard in every home?
Let’s face it, with 21,000 reasons this year alone, there’s a definite need for these products. And what about all the other people who, according to the CMA, will develop heart and lung illnesses brought on by breathing polluted air— who don’t die?
Still not enough reason? What about 10 billion others. The CMA estimates “the costs of dirty air, in terms of treating the illnesses in hospital and visits to the doctors, as well as indirect expenses for time off work, will add up to $10 billion this year.”
We’re quick to point the finger at others, saying the state of air quality in Beijing is a danger to our athletes, our spectators, and to the Chinese themselves. But far too few are taking the next logical step, and asking, demanding, that North American air quality be improved.
People are encouraged, prompted, reminded to go “green”— but are we really willing to stake our health on the proactive approach of others to saving our planet?
We’re simply not.
In 2008 Alone:
21,000 Canadians will die from the effects of air pollution
80% of those who die due to air pollution will be over the age of 65
25 Canadians under the age of 19 will die from the effects of short-term exposure to air pollution
Their report entitled,No Breathing Room: National Illness Costs of Air Pollution, points to ozone and particulate matter as the two major pollutants that will contribute to these deaths.
DEATHS. And not just deaths for the elderly, as if that weren’t newsworthy, but deaths for otherwise perfectly healthy 19-year-olds.
Combine this CMA announcement, with the air quality buzz that has been generated at this year’s Olympics, and the question that demands to be asked remains: why aren’t air purifiers a standard in every home?
Let’s face it, with 21,000 reasons this year alone, there’s a definite need for these products. And what about all the other people who, according to the CMA, will develop heart and lung illnesses brought on by breathing polluted air— who don’t die?
Still not enough reason? What about 10 billion others. The CMA estimates “the costs of dirty air, in terms of treating the illnesses in hospital and visits to the doctors, as well as indirect expenses for time off work, will add up to $10 billion this year.”
We’re quick to point the finger at others, saying the state of air quality in Beijing is a danger to our athletes, our spectators, and to the Chinese themselves. But far too few are taking the next logical step, and asking, demanding, that North American air quality be improved.
People are encouraged, prompted, reminded to go “green”— but are we really willing to stake our health on the proactive approach of others to saving our planet?
We’re simply not.
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