The population shift to the city, and air pollution

Scientific debate is still ongoing as to when the “Anthropocene” started. This period describes man’s influence on Earth, and may even define important characteristics of the environment. Some authors claim that this period began with the first fires (50,000-10,000 years ago), while others cite the Industrial Revolution (1760) or the technological revolution (1950-1960) as the starting point for the period. We will be examining world population growth and forecasts for up until 2100, after which we will be looking at migrations within Europe from 1950 to 1960, and in the 1990s, which took place in areas of the continent with a large population density. In Spain and in Catalonia, such migrations also took place, toward the Mediterranean coast and the capital cities. The result is that the cities with the highest population density in Spain are l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona and Badalona. L’Hospitalet, with 22,000 inhabitants per square kilometre, is one of the most densely-populated cities in Europe and in the world, with figures much higher than those of Cairo, to give just one example. The population increase (which has tripled since 1950), the concentration in large cities (rising from 6% in 1950 to 54% at present) and the per capita increase in demand for energy (which has doubled since 1950) all mean that emissions of atmospheric pollutants have risen markedly, even though energy efficiency has increased greatly during the same period. Furthermore, these emissions are concentrated in large metropolitan areas where people live and where the degradation of air quality has a major effect on the health of the population and on the ecosystems. The Geneva Convention represented the first stage in the fight against this collateral effect of human development: atmospheric pollution. Acidification, pollution by metals and persistent organic compounds and eutrophication were the main problems. In the 1990s, protocols and agreements were established to fight against urban and industrial pollutants (with local effects) and climatic pollutants. In this lecture, we will see the current situation as regards pollution in the big cities, and we will be looking at what measures are being taken to improve air quality without affecting the economic development of cities and regions.

With the collaboration

                                                        

                                                    

Cycle: SCIENCE ON MONDAY how human beings are transforming the earth: the Anthropocene Age - III

Organized by: Residents for Researchers