Urban Pollution:

1. The pollution of highly populated, developed areas caused by motor vehicle

congestion, industrial plants, combustion and heating plants.
a. Types:
i. Air
ii. Water
iii. Noise
iv. Land
v. Radioactive
vi. Thermal
Case study: Beijing, China Air pollution:
Causes:
Social:
Total population of 20 million people results in higher amount of
greenhouse gas release by virtue of heaters, mass use of private transport,
eg cars, mopeds.
Due to reliance on coal for power, sulphur dioxide is released in mass
Environmental:
Beijing is subject to dry and cold winters which promotes use of central
heating.
Urban Heat Island:
May be caused due to heavy urbanisation which caused the sprout of tall building
over short periods of time along with high population density. The albedo effect also takes
massive part because of large amounts of tarmac cover and very little vegetation.
Facts:
1.2 million premature deaths (2010)
China burns 3.8 billion tonnes of coal a year
o CO
2
emissions rise by 720 million tonnes since 2011
Respiratory disease, often a result of soot-clogged lungs, is the leading cause of death
in China, accounting for 26 per cent of all deaths. Compared to the United States this
mortality rate is 5 times worse.
Over 60% of Beijing's total energy consumption is coal, representing just over 30
million tonnes per annum. Of this total use of coal, 70% of it is consumed by the
manufacturing industry, 20% of it consumed by domestic households and the last
10% by other activities such as transport and shops.
8,000 heating furnaces add pollutants into the atmosphere every winter.
o Central heating accounts for 48% of Beijings lower atmosphere sulphur
dioxide.
600,000 adults die early of respiratory blockage and 15,000 fall victim to lung cancer
caused by polluted air.
Air pollution, a negative externality of economic growth, in Chinas northern cities
exceed the standards of the World Health Organisation by 5 or 6 times.


Bibliography:
http://www.atmos.umd.edu/~russ/he_etal_S_China_2012.pdf
http://faculty.mu.edu.sa/public/uploads/1338191203.25924.pdf
http://w3.rcnuwc.no/public/geography/planet%20geopgraphy%206th%20ed%20chapters
%20in%20pdf%20files/DVD%20PG6%2011%20part%202.pdf
http://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/coal_china2009.pdf
http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/09/news/china-air-pollution/