Reducing Air Pollution: Strategies for Mitigation

UNIVERSITY AFFILIATION
FACULTY OR DEPARTMENT
COURSE ID & NAME
STUDENT NAME
STUDENT REGISTRATION NUMBER
Dr. Nick Surawski
DATE OF SUBMISSION
2018

REDUCING AIR POLLUTION
ABSTRACT
This literature review seeks to review previously work done in analyzing the strategies taken to
mitigate air pollution. The air pollution is prevalent in the ocean transportation as well as the
inland transportation. This is a form of man-made air pollution. Some of the pollutants that affect
the air to an extent of causing global warming are CO, Sulphur oxides, ground level ozone, and
some matter obtained in particulate form. Air pollution, as a result, the disruption of air after
harmful substances are released into the air by human activity or natural occurrences. A
combination of the pollutants forms smog which is a composition of the gases when mixed up
with dust particles and hot water vapor. Statistics show that the smog has caused a number of
deaths as recorded in the famous London SMOG with a death toll of 500 people. SMOG forms
from the sea and moves to the inland sections of the planet limiting motorists’ visibility. The
calamity saw a number of people suffer from respiratory ailments and the SMOG caused poor
ultraviolet radiation from the sun which affected visibility and caused fatal accidents during that
time. Some of the main concerns in the global maritime industry are the traffic safety and
protection of the ocean environmental concernsInvalid source specified..
KEYWORDS: Air pollution, CVD, respiratory diseases, particulate matter, ocean vessels,
pollutants.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Recently, the Paris Agreement on the climate change attributed air pollution as one of the key
factors that have caused the climate to shift to an unpredictable state. The effects of the air
pollution have led to longer drought or very sunny periods or rainy periods within a year in both
the tropical and non-tropical zones of the planet. The strategies formulated to reduce air pollution
ought to be brought down to the lay man in simple instructions to ensure that everyone
participates in the mitigation. The ocean and sea vessels pollute the air while on sea and while at
the ports. The pollution has a significant impact on the health of the general public as well as the
environment and climatic changes. The shipping companies have an organization known as the
international maritime organization that monitors and regulates the pollution from such shipping
vessels. There has been a rise in the sea and ocean commerce where items are shipped in cargos
from continent to continent. The researchers have discovered that there is an increase in the ship
traffic as the economies in different countries grow. Some of the people who are gravely affected
by the sea and port pollution by such vessels are the coastal communities and the sea travelers.
The impact causes different forms of cancer, respiratory diseases especially for the port workers.
The shipment companies have embraced new and advanced technologies that govern their
operations in terms of the improvement of fuel quality and ship engine technology as well as
operation changes at port in order to reduce the levels of air pollution. The ships run on fuel oil
which is the most common source fuel in the global economy. The oil used is heavily degraded
and it contains high levels of harmful metallic components. When these fuels are burnt with little
or enough oxygen from the surrounding, the fuels produce huge amounts of black fumes from
their outlets. The components of the fumes are oxides of the oil components which tend to
deplete the ozone layer. When the ozone layer is depleted, the globe is bound to experience the
green-house effect. The organization aims at attaining eco-efficiency and to perform corporate
social responsibility. The sea air pollution tends to affect the sea creatures or birds, underwater
animals and the coastal communities close to the ports.
The officials at IMO perform regular checks on the sea vessels to ensure that they are running on
the best fuel that is eco-friendly and the emissions are reduced. The researchers have discovered
a number of ways to clean the air that has already been destroyed by several components emitted
from land and sea. These mitigation strategies tend to be very expensive but they are supported
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